Vampire Diaries: Evanna-Verse 3
by ThatBrownEyedIrishGirl
Summary: Season 3. A Hybrid and a Ripper walk into a bar - Evanna already knows it isn't going to be good. Between juggling Stefan, an Original family, Senior Year and her feelings for a certain blue-eyed vampire, Evanna once again finds her hands full. Oy...
1. Chapter 1

**Vampire Diaries**

**Season 3**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**So, here it is; the beginning of season 3! :) Is anyone else excited, or am I just a gigantic nerd? **

**Though, I'm excited because I have something planned for in between Season 3 and 4, that would take place from the middle of November to the end of December/beginning of January that I can't wait to start posting. It's purely original, not following any specific storylines, and I hope you guys will like it.**

**But, I'm getting ahead of myself. For now, please enjoy chapter one, and as always, don't forget to review! :)**

* * *

Sunlight streamed through the open window on the morning of August 16th, 2011.

The soft breeze flowing in tickled the bare arms of the sleeping girl in the bed. Evanna Gilbert opened one eye and glanced at the clock; 7 A.M.

It was the morning of her eighteenth birthday, and despite it usually being an exciting time for any teenager, it just seemed like another day to her. The past two months had been ... well, she didn't really know how to explain them.

Stefan had been missing for that length of time, and it seemed that that wouldn't change anytime soon. Elena was a wreck (but acting as though everything was normal), Jeremy was ... off and Alaric was just trying to do everything he could for them. He had quickly adapted to the father-like role that none of them expected of him, but were equally as thankful for.

Evanna checked her phone and replied to all the birthday wishes with a thank you, and climbed out of bed.

Meredith, Caroline and Elena had suggested an agreement; she could spend the day anyway she liked, and then at seven, she was theirs for a birthday party she hadn't asked for.

Evanna truly didn't want to make a big deal out of it, but as they insisted, it _was _a big deal.

* * *

Evanna wrapped a towel around her body, and cursed silently under her breath when her phone (which was in her bedroom) began to ring.

She slipped on her slippers and hurried inside, picking it up.

"Caroline, hey."

"Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks..." Evanna frowned at the background noise,"Where are you?"

"Shopping for the party you're trying to bail out on."

"I never said yes in the first place." Evanna set the phone on speaker and began getting dressed.

"You were never going to - which is why we planned it anyway. And my mom wants you to call her."

"Did she find something?"

Liz had been helping Evanna and Damon search for months, finding out where suspicious murders were taking place and giving them the addresses.

So far, Stefan had been long gone by the time they'd gotten there. Evanna had obviously tried a locater spell, as had Sheila, but they couldn't track him down.

"An animal attack in Memphis, It's the third one this week in Tennessee." Caroline answered as Evanna pulled on her red converse by the front door.

"And you're sure it's a vampire?" She headed into the kitchen and spotted Rick trying to work a new coffee machine.

The brunette witch smiled, and fixed the problem for him - by plugging it in. Alaric's sheepish look made her laugh softly as she continued talking to Caroline.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean that it's Klaus."

"Doesn't mean it's not, either. I'll call her."

"Well, call her on her cell. Mom's not home right now."

"Okay, will do. Bye."

"Bye. I'll see you in a bit."

"Oh, and Care? Just ... keep tonight small, please?"

"Wear something pretty! Gotta go, Tyler's here."

Evanna rolled her eyes amusedly and hung up.

She set her phone on the counter and watched Alaric fold covers from his makeshift bed on the couch.

Evanna poured two cups of coffee,"You don't have to sleep on the couch."

"Yeah, but I'd rather not sleep in my dead girlfriend's room. Was that eh.. Stefan news?"

"Could be more of Klaus's victims."

Alaric glanced towards the ceiling, as if making sure Elena was still in her bedroom, and lowered his voice,"Are we even sure Stefan's still with him?"

Evanna sighed and pursed her lips,"We have to. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah. Oh, and Evanna?"

Evanna turned back around and Alaric sent a soft grin her way.

"Happy Birthday."

* * *

Evanna headed over to her grandmother's house, spending the day relaxing and bracing herself for the night ahead.

At twelve, Evanna decided to call Liz and head over to Damon's.

Sheila promised to stop by the party, even though it was being held at the Salvatore house. Evanna got in her car and scribbled down the latest location before strapping herself in and starting the car.

Evanna tightened her high ponytail as she hopped down the steps into the Salvatore living room, setting her bag down on the table. Evanna heard Damon behind her even before he spoke.

"Good morning."

"Hey, I was gonna - Oh!" Evanna turned to face him and quickly spun around again when she realized he wasn't wearing _anything_.

"You heard me." Evanna laughed in disbelief,"You knew that I was here."

"Yeah, you should learn to knock. What if I was... indecent?"

"Oh, _God_." She scoffed and put one hand over her eyes.

With the other hand she grabbed a towel and threw it to him as she turned around -but still with one hand over her eyes. He put the towel on and Evanna peeked between her fingers to make sure he was covered up. She saw that he was and dropped her hand from her eyes.

Evanna held up the piece of paper in her hand and sighed,"Sheriff Forbes found us a new location; Memphis."

"Oh, another dead end."

"You don't know that."

Damon walked towards her, pushing her back against the table her bag sat on,"You're right, Evanna. This could be the one. After almost two months this could be the one clue that tells that Stefan is alive and well and living in Graceland."

Evanna rolled her eyes, slipping out from between his body and the desk,"Fine, I'll go by myself."

Damon sped in front of her again and took the paper from her fingers,"Right, and let Klaus know you're tracking him. He thinks you're dead; let's keep it that way."

"It's a new lead Damon; we haven't one of those in a long time."

"Okay, I'll check it out. If I find anything, I'll call you."

"But - " Evanna huffed.

He was already gone. Evanna plucked her bag off the table and left the house again.

* * *

Evanna headed to the Grill at four o'clock.

She had been shopping and had found an outfit for the party. Thing is, she didn't spend hours shopping, so that only proved to take up a small amount of time.

"Hey." Jeremy greeted as she perched on a stool.

"Hi."

"Enjoying your day off?"

Evanna bit the inside of her lip,"I don't know what to do with myself. I haven't had a day off in almost a year."

"In other words; you're bored."

"Slightly."

"Wanna help me out? Matt's the boss today, he won't mind."

Evanna glanced at the blonde football player who was serving some people and noticed the tension in him,"He seems bothered about something."

Jeremy nodded as she followed him into the storage room,"Caroline and Tyler are having a lunch date here."

"I knew there was something going on!" Evanna exclaimed, snapping her fingers,"That Caroline's a little liar - which doesn't provide _any_ reassurance for tonight."

Jeremy chuckled,"Caroline's definition of a small party _is_ about a couple hundred people, Ava."

Evanna grimaced,"Uh, yeah... is there even that many in Mystic Falls?"

"Not the right person to ask." Jeremy said, tossing her a folded up box, that she slid onto a shelf.

He watched it begin to slowly unfold, and laughed loudly when Evanna slapped it.

"The box isn't being co-operative, Jeremy."

"That's why you stack loads of other folded up boxes on top of it."

"Give me the other boxes; this has gotten personal."

Jeremy chuckled again, and that's when the lights began to flicker.

The hair on the back of Evanna's neck stood up,"What's that?"

The lights went off and came back on again, but something in the corner spooked Jeremy, and he dropped the silver dish he was holding.

Evanna frowned when he picked it up and stared at the corner in shock.

"Jeremy..." She said slowly,"What's going on?"

He turned around, stumbling over his words, but didn't get anything out as Matt barged into the room.

"You guys okay in here? I heard a bang."

"We're fine, Mattie." Evanna smiled,"You should probably get the electricity checked."

The blue-eyed boy frowned,"Why? Did the lights go off in here?"

"Yeah." Jeremy nodded,"They didn't go off outside?"

"No. That's odd; all the lights are connected."

Evanna glanced back at her cousin, eyes narrowed.

"Which means that the lights outside should have gone off too. That's strangely ... specific."

* * *

Evanna had questioned Jeremy as to what had happened, but he seemed as confused as her, so she had let him off.

Evanna had met Tyler and Caroline outside, and decided to help them all set up for the party.

Meredith and Elena arrived at the house at the same time and Meredith smirked, crossing her arms,"Nice, Evanna."

Evanna bit her lip and blinked innocently,"What...?"

"You're only helping us so you can keep control of things."

Caroline gasped,"Evanna! You little trickster!"

"Caroline." Tyler chuckled,"You should have known better."

"That's true."

When they stepped inside, Evanna headed up to Damon's room and set her shopping bags down on the bed. He'd told her that she could use his room to get ready for her party the day before, but it was still weird that she was in there when he wasn't home. He and Alaric had left Mystic Falls some time ago.

Evanna headed back downstairs and pulled a step ladder out of the closet. Meredith and Elena were in charge of the food, while Tyler, Caroline and Evanna set up decorations.

"I feel like I have to fight Damon every single time we get a lead on Stefan." Evanna told Caroline with a sigh, pinning a 'Happy Birthday, Evanna' banner on the archway.

"Maybe he doesn't want to find him."

Caroline spun around to face Tyler with a gasp,"Tyler!" She lowered her voice then,"Elena's right in there."

Tyler shrugged,"Think about it; Evanna, you've been spending tons of time with Damon, every day you're with Damon ... maybe he doesn't want that to change. He's into you, isn't he?"

"They're just friends, Tyler. Right, Evanna?"

Evanna paused, jumping off the step ladder and picking up a balloon,"Of course. There's nothing romantic between Damon and I."

Tyler gave her a 'what-would-I-know?' look and smiled, telling her he was going to let it go.

Evanna sent him her own, hesitant smile and picked up her phone,"Oh, I missed a call from my dad. I'll be back."

* * *

Seven came around faster than she anticipated, and for some reason, she couldn't leave Damon's bedroom.

Caroline had made her hair mostly straight, but it ended it soft, loose curls, Meredith had given her light, smokey eyes and peach lip gloss while Elena had picked out a thin white headband and white gladiator heels.

The dress that she had picked herself went down well with the three girls; a strapless, ruched cocktail dress with a bubble hem and a built-in gold belt-band that went around her waist.

Evanna played the dress's hem nervously, taking a deep breath to calm her fluttering stomach. She spotted a figure leaning against the doorframe of the room, arms crossed. The figure wore black pants, black dress shoes and a dark blue shirt, the two top buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

Evanna smiled at his reflection and turned around,"Don't worry I'm not gonna lose it. At least not before the cake."

Damon shrugged,"It's your party, you can cry if you want to."

Evanna snorted quietly and stared back at her reflection, biting the inside of her lip.

Damon walked into the room and stood behind her,"Relax, you look beautiful."

"I look ... normal."

"Which is what you are. At least for tonight." Damon pursed his lips,"I got you something."

Evanna opened her mouth to protest but he stopped her,"I know I promised not to buy you anything so don't worry I didn't pay for it."

"Please tell me you didn't steal it."

"No! I... found it." He handed a small box to her and she opened it.

"My necklace... I thought I'd never see it again."

"Found it in the library, Stefan must have put it there and forgotten about it. Thought you'd be happy to have it back."

"I am happy, thank you."

"You're welcome."

She smiled at him and raised the necklace,"Can you...?"

"Absolutely."

Evanna turned around and pulled her hair to one side. The bite marks had healed, but she still remembered where Damon had bit her. Damon's fingers brushed her skin gently as he fastened the chain around her neck.

Evanna smiled and turned back around.

Damon offered her his arm,"Shall we?"

After a deep breath, Evanna linked her arm with his and nodded.

* * *

Walking down the stairs with Damon by her side made it less nerve-wracking.

She received many '_happy birthday, Evanna_'s as she passed by, heading towards the living room. They stopped at the step and Evanna took in the scene before her. A girl passed by them with a bottle in her hand and Damon stopped her, compelling her.

"Oh, hey, hey, hey, hey. You don't want that. You want the cheap young stuff over by the cheap young people."

Evanna rolled her eyes with a smile as the girl walked away, and a look of acomplishment flashed across Damon's face. Caroline bounded up to them excitedly.

"You like? Don't answer that!"

"_This _is keeping it small?"

Caroline simply kept on smiling and Evanna sighed, not having the heart to complain.

"What are we drinking?"

"Where'd you get that?"

* * *

Jeremy looked away from the pot in his hand to see Matt,"Henry from the kitchen sold me a dime."

Matt shrugged and took some, lighting up,"So, what's got you on your spiral downward? Sure it's a lot more interesting than mine."

"You don't wanna know."

"How bad can it be?" Matt asked, taking a blow,"I already know everything else. Go for it."

"You know I died, right? And Evanna used magic to bring me back to life?"

"Elena told me."

"The thing is, ever since I came back I've been seeing... things."

"What kind of things?"

"Just, things I shouldn't be seeing."

"What does Evanna say about it?"

"I haven't told her. It's just been screwing with my head. I just need to chill out, so this is my plan."

Caroline and Evanna rounded the corner, and Matt met them halfway into the room.

"Ava! Happy B'day!" He planted a brotherly kiss on her cheek and walked by them.

Caroline pouted,"He hates me. His hatred of me, has driven him to drugs!"

"He doesn't hate you, Care, he hates that he's not with you."

Evanna spotted Jeremy and tilted her head,"Is that my cousin?"

She passed Caroline her drink and walked off. Caroline shrugged and took a sip before walking away. Meredith was bound to get here soon.

* * *

Alaric and Damon sat out on the porch wall as teenagers passed by them continuously.

"I am every parent's worst nightmare. I am the chaperone teacher from hell." Alaric grumbled, taking a shot.

"I _love _high school parties." Damon shrugged.

"Isn't Andie supposed to be coming?"

"Ten o'clock broadcast. She should be here in a little bit. Hey, Sheila."

"Damon, Alaric ... have you seen my granddaughter?"

Damon glanced at the doorway, catching the familiar perfume that was Evanna's signature scent.

"There's the birthday girl!"

"Drink." She ordered, and Damon held his scotch out to her.

Evanna took a sip, and her frown turned into a smile when she spotted her grandmother.

"Grams!"

"Happy birthday, honey." Sheila beamed as Evanna hugged her,"You okay?"

Evanna sighed,"Jeremy's smoking again."

Damon pursed his lips,"Is his stash any good?"

Evanna slowly turned to him, glaring,"You're an ass."

She glanced at Alaric,"Can you talk to him, please? He looks up to you."

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you. C'mon, Grams!" Evanna handed Damon's drink back to him and dragged Sheila inside.

Damon drank the rest of his drink and smirked at Alaric,"You're screwed."

"Hm..."

* * *

Meredith, Elena, Sheila and Evanna went off searching for Caroline once they heard (from Tyler) what she had done.

The blonde had compelled a girl into leaving, and not just any girl, but Tyler's _date_. They figured she needed her girls, and Sheila _was_ like a grandmother to all of them.

Evanna led them into Damon's room, where she'd sensed a vampire and was glad to hear Caroline's voice from the bathroom.

"This room is off limits!"

"Don't worry, it's us." Elena called.

Caroline poked her head out,"Sorry." The blonde showed them the blood bag,"I just needed to take a beat."

"Good idea." Evanna nodded, sitting on the bed.

"Maybe we should call Alaric up here." Meredith mused,"He looks out of place."

"Damon told him to drink more and he'd be fine." Elena laughed.

Evanna rolled her eyes and smiled,"Sounds like him. Where is Damon, anyway?"

"I think he went to pick up Andie." Sheila answered, rummaging through her purse for her lipstick.

"Well, he better get here soon because we haven't even done the cake yet." Caroline reminded them, walking out of the bathroom.

Evanna grimaced,"Yeah... I think I'm gonna pass on the whole cake thing."

Caroline sped in front of her (using vampire speed) and stared,"What? No, no way, no! It's your birthday! You know it's the dawn of a new day and, you can't get on with your life until you have made a wish and blown out the candles. It's a right of passage."

Evanna quirked an eyebrow,"I thought getting drunk for the very first time was the right of passage for an eighteen year old."

Elena snorted,"You ruined that a while ago."

Sheila turned around,"Excuse me...?"

Evanna bit her lip, even though she knew Sheila was teasing and batted her eyelashes,"Nothing, Grams..."

Elena had begun pacing and she picked up a picture on Damon's nightstand.

She too had never been in Damon's room, so seeing the picture of him and his brother was a little odd,"Damon has pictures of Stefan in here?"

Caroline frowned,"Damon has pictures?"

Evanna looked over and nodded,"He has picture albums too. Think they're in the drawer."

Elena brushed her thumb over Stefan's smiling face and sighed sadly,"Where do you think Stefan is right now?"

Meredith gave Elena a side-hug,"Somewhere missing you, I bet."

Elena gave her a smile that clearly said; thanks for trying.

"We'll find him, Elena." Evanna said, standing up,"Promise."

"I know I've been MIA in the Stefan search, and I know it's too dangerous for me, but I don't wanna skip over the details."

Evanna nodded,"From now on, I will tell you everything ..." Evanna turned sideways, and caught sight of something,"Or at least everything I know..."

"What is it?" Sheila asked as Evanna stepped over to a closet, and opened the already semi-open door further.

Caroline came up behind her,"What's all that?"

Evanna frowned, her eyes travelling over all the maps, newspaper clippings, etc. that hung on the walls,"It's Klaus... Damon's been tracking him without me."

Meredith stepped up beside her too,"Why wouldn't he just tell you?"

Evanna moved back from the closet and slipped her phone from her purse.

"Let's go find out, shall we?"

* * *

Evanna set her phone on speaker and set it on the dresser as the four other women crowded around.

"Party Central."

"Where are you?"

"Umm, by the punch bowl."

"Don't do it, Damon. Don't lie to me. I saw the closet; _where are you_?"

"Oh... Oh, I gotta go... break up... beer pong."

The line clicked off and Evanna stared at the phone,"It's okay if I kill him, right?"

* * *

Jeremy decided to go home after a stomach full of cake.

He headed for his car, and spotted Matt standing at the end of the driveway.

"What are you doin'?"

"I can't find my truck."

"That's probably a sign you shouldn't be driving it. Need a ride?"

"You're more stoned than I am."

Jeremy chuckled and climbed into his new car.

He spotted Vicki standing in front of it and gasped silently,"Vicki?"

"Help me." She whispered back before disappearing.

Matt climbed into the passenger seat and stared at him weirdly,"Hey. What'd you just say?"

"Nothing."

"Did you just say 'Vicki', as in my sister?"

"What? No, of course not." Jeremy turned on the ignition and glanced up again, only to see Anna this time.

"You know what, Matt? Maybe we should just walk."

* * *

Damon stared at Caroline and Tyler's retreating figures, not wanting to think about where they were headed and _why _they were headed there, and walked further into the party.

He was not excited for the confrontation with Evanna, but he spotted Meredith, Elena and Sheila at various corners and decided he'd be safer without them to see it.

Or would he...? No witnesses.

He headed upstairs and walked into his bedroom, spotting Evanna going through all the files on his bed.

He closed the door softly, and she turned, holding pages in her hand.

"You know, you find the most interesting things sometimes..." Evanna held a newspaper copy up for him to see,"Why wasn't I told?"

"Can we not do this right now? I'm having a really bad night."

"No, we are doing this now, because all summer you made me feel like an idiot for actually hoping we could get Stefan back."

"You _were _an idiot. We both were."

"Tell me what you know, Damon."

"I know you should get back to your party, _Evanna_."

"We're supposed to be in this together. Why didn't you tell me that you've been tracking Klaus' victims?"

"Because they're not Klaus' victims, Evanna, they're Stefans!"

Evanna paused,"...What?"

"He's left a trail of body parts up and down the eastern seaboard."

Evanna fell silent, her eyes scanning the words of the documents.

"I've seen it happen before," Damon continued, walking over so that he was standing inches away from her,"He's flipped the switch, full blown ripper."

"There must be something we can do."

"There is. We can stop pretending. Stop looking for him. Stop waiting for him to come home. Just stop! Stefan is gone and he's not coming back. Not in your lifetime."

With that, Damon left the bedroom. Evanna bit the inside of her lip as tears welled up in her eyes; pain for Stefan, Elena and Damon had gotten the better of her. She gripped her necklace, trying to anchor herself back down.

Evanna closed her eyes, took a deep breath and stood still.

When she opened her eyes again, she was back to normal.

Back to the Evanna who'd keep moments like these locked away.

* * *

Evanna came home with Elena and Alaric and the two girls headed straight for bed.

Evanna stripped off her dress and pulled on her pajamas, tying her hair into a messy side bun and taking off her makeup before falling asleep.

Elena stepped out of the bathroom and headed into her own bedroom. Just as she was about to climb into bed, her phone began to buzz on the counter. Elena picked it up, recognizing the number on the phone.

"Hello? Hello?" There was silence, but the fluttering in her stomach told her that her suspicions were true.

Elena took a deep breath.

"Stefan? Stefan, if this is you, you'll be okay. I love you Stefan. Hold onto that. Never let that go."


	2. Chapter 2

**Vampire Diaries**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Evanna hung out with Sheila the next day, going out for lunch.

Evanna slumped in the chair when lunch was finished, defeated as she listened to her phone go to voice mail.

"I'm back." Sheila announced, sitting back down,"You okay?"

"Damon won't answer his phone."

"What happened last night?"

Evanna bit on the straw of her drink,"He's been tracking Stefan's victims... we, uh, had a bit of a disagreement. He thinks we should give up on getting Stefan back."

Sheila and herself got up and began strolling through town as they talked.

"I thought this happened before."

"It did. Stefan changed his ripper ways before... I don't get why Damon thinks he can't do it again. Something happened when he left last night, I just don't know what."

"I think we just found out." Sheila said, plucking a newspaper from a stand.

Evanna glanced over Sheila's shoulder and her hand flew to her mouth.

"Oh, my God."

* * *

Damon had begun unpinning everything else in the closet, occasionally glancing over at the news.

Andie's death was being mentioned, and he listened absentmindedly.

"Just can't stay away, can you?"

"You've been dodging my calls." Evanna appeared by the doorway and leaned against it.

"Yeah, well, busy dating a dead fake girlfriend and all."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Happy Birthday, Evanna. Stefan killed Andie. Cake?"

"He called Elena, Damon."

"What?"

"Stefan called Elena last night."

"What'd he say?"

"He didn't say anything, but she's sure it was him. It came from his number. I asked Sheriff Forbes if she would trace the call's origin. It came from Tennessee."

"Where he's binge drinking on the country folk. We went through this, Evanna. Stefan's gone. I don't mean geographically."

"If he was gone, he wouldn't have called."

* * *

Evanna had come to Sheila's house with the plan before they both decided they needed the extra manpower on their side.

Evanna led Sheila into the kitchen, and grinned innocently at Alaric. He set a hand on his hip, giving her a stern look.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing."

"Okay, what do you want?"

Evanna stopped smiling,"We need you to tell us everything you know about Stefan and Tennessee."

"Did you miss the part where I checked out of all this?"

"I call it selective hearing." Evanna whined,"Come on, Rick! Whatever Damon knows, you know."

"So ask Damon."

"Yeah... Damon's not in a helpful mood right now."

"For good reason. It's safer for everyone, Evanna. Stefan's off the rails."

"Yes, but, he called Elena. He didn't threaten her, he didn't tell her to give up on him... actually, he didn't say anything but, he's still holding onto her, which means he's still holding onto his humanity." Evanna held up a hand and took a deep breath,"_Which means,_ he can still be saved."

"And why do you have to be the one to save him?"

Evanna scoffed,"Because I'm stubborn, and you know that. Look, Elena needs him, and as much as he'd protest, Damon needs him too. Stefan wouldn't give up on us, so we shouldn't give up on him."

Alaric sighed and quirked an eyebrow at the young witch standing before him.

"Have I ever suggested joining the debate club to you?"

* * *

Jeremy followed Matt into the stockroom of the Grill,"Hey."

"Please tell me you're not becoming one of those losers who hangs out at work on his day off."

"Nah, I just ... do you remember what we talked about last night?"

"Honestly, Jer, last night is kind of a blur."

"Well, I saw her again. I saw Vicki."

"Why are you... why are you telling me this? Your cousin's a witch... I think she could help more than me."

"Tell Evanna that ever since she brought me back to life I've been seeing my dead ex-girlfriends? I don't want her to worry, we don't need a witch. We need personal items, and it works best when a family member tries to make contact."

"We're not contacting my dead sister! Evanna would kill us, and then bring us back, and kill us again."

"Vicki asked me to help her."

Matt stopped and took a deep breath,"If you're messing with me..."

"I saw her, Matt. She asked for help. You were the one she loved the most. If anyone's gonna be able to help me connect to her, it's you."

* * *

Evanna followed Sheila and Alaric into the woods where they'd agreed to meet Tyler.

She had been shocked at how much had been kept from her, and was intent on finding out more.

"Hey, Ty." She greeted, being the first to sense him.

"What do you need?"

"We need you to tell us where werewolves go on full moons." Sheila answered.

Tyler shrugged.

"A lot of us like to keep to ourselves for the full moon, chain ourselves up. But there are some werewolves that like to gather in places were they don't have to do that, where they can enjoy it."

Alaric stepped forward,"What kind of places?"

"Mountains, state parks, deserts, that kind of stuff."

Evanna shuffled on her feet,"Anywhere in Tennessee?"

"Yeah. Here. Give me your phone. I'll try to pull up a map."

Evanna slipped her phone from her jean shorts and tossed it to him. Tyler caught it, punched in the password and got into her Maps app.

"Thanks for this, Ty. I know it's asking a lot."

"As Caroline likes to remind me, Stefan's in this mess because I bit Damon. I figure I owe you one. Have you talked to her today?"

"No. Why?"

"Just curious. Here." He handed her her phone again,"That's your best bet. Now, I think I'm meeting Caroline at the Grill."

"Ooh," Evanna teased,"You two dating now?"

"Maybe..."

The smile dropped,"What? Are you serious?"

Tyler didn't answer, just grinned and began walking away.

"Tyler Michael Lockwood!"

"Catch you later!" He called back and disappeared.

Evanna shook her head and turned around to her Grams and Alaric, flashing them a dazzling grin.

"So, anyways, how do you feel about a little hike through the Smoky Mountains?"

Alaric gaped at her,"You wanna hunt down a pack of werewolves on a full moon?"

"We'll be out of there before the moon is full. If you don't come with me, I'm going by myself." She shrugged off the pointed look he gave her,"What? You're the one who told me that I could handle things on my own."

"Yes, I meant like frozen dinners and SATs."

Evanna pouted, her brown eyes shiny.

He sighed, grumbling slightly.

"A-all right fine. Let's just... Let's just go. But you're driving."

* * *

By four o'clock, they'd begun their trek through the mountains.

Alaric led the way as Evanna and Sheila lagged behind, chatting about menial things such as Noel's new job and Raina's new boyfriend.

"In a couple hours, the full moon's gonna rise just above that Ridge. If Tyler's right, that's where the pack'll be." Alaric stopped and pointed to the ridge.

Evanna stepped up beside him and squinted at it; it seemed so far away. _Effort,_ she groaned internally.

She glanced at Alaric with a teasing grin,"You were a boy scout, weren't you?"

"Boy scout, slash vampire hunter." Sheila added.

Alaric shrugged,"Slash whiskey-drinking all-around lost cause." He dropped the bag he'd been carrying on the ground, and opened it up.

Evanna gawked at the amount of weapons,"Well, _someone _came stocked."

"We're not exactly bird-watching. Here, put this in your bag."

Evanna stared at the little vial,"Vervain bomb?"

"Wolfsbane."

"Ooh, shiny." Evanna dropped it in her bag as Alaric handed some to Sheila.

Evanna glanced out at the river. She shrugged off the white shirt she'd thrown over her black camisole, jean shorts and black converse and stuffed it in her bag.

"So, why do you think you're a lost cause, Rick? I mean - ah!"

Suddenly, Evanna was flying, and then she was dropping, plunging into the river. Sheila darted forward and Rick grabbed the crossbow, but both stopped when they saw who'd taken Evanna's place by the tree.

"Damon!" Evanna exclaimed, once she'd surfaced from the cold water,"Not cool! How are you even here?"

Damon glanced back at Alaric,"Thanks for the tip, brother."

Evanna's accusing eyes turned to Alaric,"You sold me out!"

"You think I'd take you to a mountain range of werewolves on a full moon without backup?"

Evanna huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. The fabric of her top clung to her body, making her feel exposed.

Up ahead, Damon nodded back at land,"Get out of the water, Evanna."

"If I get out of the water, you'll make me go home."

"Uh, yeah, 'cause I'm not an idiot like you."

"Right now, you're both acting like idiots." Alaric said, sharing a look with Sheila.

Evanna stared back at Damon, refusing to back down,"You gave up on him, Damon."

"I didn't give up on him, Evanna, I faced reality. Now get out of the water."

"No! I like it here." Evanna replied stubbornly.

Damon rolled his eyes and hopped off the ledge, walking through the sand and into the water until he was in front of her. Evanna uncrossed her arms and stood up straighter.

"What's your big plan, Evanna? Huh? You gonna walk through a campsite full of werewolves, roast a marshmallow, and wait for Stefan to stop by?"

"No, I don't like marshmallows." Evanna quipped,"My _plan_ is to find him and _help_ him. Damon, this is the closest that we've been to him since he left. I'm not going home."

"Klaus thinks you died when he broke the curse. That makes you safe. _This_? This is not safe."

"I'm not leaving before we find him."

"It's a full moon tonight, Evanna."

"Then we'll find him before then. Damon, _please_."

Damon stayed silent, staring into her eyes. Her brown eyes told him loud and clear that she wasn't going anywhere so he made up his mind. Best he be there with her to keep her safe rather than her going alone.

"Okay, _okay_. But we are out of here before the moon is full and I'm werewolf bait."

"Promise."

He lowered his voice,"Unless you wanna re-live the whole death-bed kissy thing."

Evanna flushed,"I said I promise."

Damon stared at her for another second before shrugging.

"Fine."

* * *

They were walking for another twenty minutes before anyone spoke.

Evanna's hair had begun to dry, but her clothes were still sticking to her.

"How you doing?" Damon asked chirpily from beside her.

"Fine."

"You know, I could help you."

"No, thanks."

"Just one little _fwoosh_."

"Yeah, and with my luck, you'd drop me."

Sheila snorted,"What, are you two twelve?"

"One of us is." Evanna grumbled.

Damon scoffed,"Oh, yeah,_ I'm_ the immature one."

"You pushed me into a river!"

"Yeah, well ... I know you are but what am I?"

Evanna couldn't help it; she cracked, and smiled.

"Ha! You smiled! I'm off the hook!"

Evanna rolled her eyes, slugging his arm to push him forward,"Yeah, yeah, just keep walking, idiot."

* * *

"We've got about a mile left." Sheila announced as they stepped onto another expanse of grass and trees.

"The sun's about to set." Damon noticed, staring into the sky.

"We can see that, Damon."

"Just saying, Evanna."

"The moon doesn't reach its apex for a while. We have time."

She said, and stopped when she heard a twig snap.

Damon stepped in front of her as Alaric pulled out his crossbow. A man appeared from the trees, covered in blood.

Evanna noticed, with a grimace, that even his eyes were bleeding.

"Stay where you are!" Alaric ordered.

The man growled,"Vampire."

He lunged at Damon and grabbed him. They fought, and Damon got pinned to a tree. The man tried to bite Damon, but he managed to keep the man's teeth away from his flesh.

Evanna pulled the wolfsbane vial from her bag,"Damon!"

He caught it and made it explode on the man's face. His face began to burn and he screamed, before being kicked in the stomach by Damon and hitting another tree. He landed on the ground, unconscious.

"Let me guess..." Sheila spoke,"Hybrid?"

Alaric nodded, exhaling heavily.

"Hybrid."

* * *

Damon and Alaric stepped back, observing their job at roping the hybrid to the tree.

"These ropes aren't gonna hold him." Damon stated.

Behind the two men, Evanna and Sheila doused the ropes in vervain. Evanna held one of the ropes out for Alaric, pinching the soaked rope between her thumb and index finger.

"Rick, here. Take these." She called.

Damon reached back, and grabbed the rope. His skin burned and he dropped it, jumping back,"Ah! Ow!"

Evanna shrugged,"I said _Rick_ for a reason."

"All right, that's the last of the vervain." Alaric announced, tying the rest of the ropes,"We don't have enough stuff to hold him. I don't think we're gonna make that Ridge before the full moon."

Evanna contemplated this for a moment before stepping forward and planting herself in front of the hybrid,"If we can get him to talk, we don't have to."

The hybrid's body jerked, and screamed.

Damon's brows furrowed,"Is he turning?"

Evanna stepped back,"It's impossible. It's still daylight."

Alaric tensed,"Tell _him _that."

Sheila's fingers wrapped around Evanna's wrist and pulled her back as Damon slipped into her place and caught the hybrid's shoulders.

"There aren't supposed to be werewolves out here until the moon is full." Sheila said to Alaric, who nodded in agreement and surveyed the ropes.

"Those ropes aren't gonna hold the wolf."

The hybrid snarled and jerked again, making some of the ropes come loose.

Evanna noticed and stepped up to Damon,"Damon, we have to get out of here."

He didn't listen, still trying to somehow stop the transformation.

"Damon!" Evanna called again, as the ropes began to droop,"Damon, now!"

He turned, grabbed her hand and they set off running through the woods. It was a long way to the car, and only half way through, the sun had already set. It was dark, so dark that Evanna didn't spot the broken log in front of her until she tripped.

Damon skidded to a halt, and put out his hand,"Evanna... don't move."

Evanna raised her head and gulped. The icy blue eyes of the wolf stared at her, and his lip turned upwards unveiling gleaming, sharp white fangs.

"Here, doggie, doggie." Damon whistled.

The wolf turned and stared him down. Damon turned and sped off into the woods with vampire speed. They watched in shock as the wolf followed, using the exact same amount of speed.

Sheila helped Evanna stand back up and she stared into the trees.

"Come on. Let's keep moving." Alaric ordered.

"We can't leave Damon." Evanna protested, glancing back into the trees.

"He can handle himself. Let's move." Sheila said, tugging her forward.

"No. If he gets bit, he'll be dead."

"He'll be fine" Alaric exclaimed, using his no nonsense fatherly tone,"I'm telling you to keep moving. Let's go. Evanna, now!"

* * *

Evanna blew out a breath, tapping her fingers along the seat in the back,"Stefan's out there somewhere, and now Damon, and... we're sitting in a car."

"Let the vampires fight the hybrid zombie mountain man. I'll take care of keeping the humans safe." Alaric turned around in his seat.

"I thought you were checked out of taking care of people."

"I know what you're doing. Don't. There doesn't need to be a lesson here."

Sheila smiled to herself; Alaric had finally caught on to why Evanna had asked him specifically to come along.

Evanna shrugged,"You're better at it than you think, you know."

"Oh, boy, are you a sucker for a lost cause or what?"

"Funny." Evanna rolled her eyes,"You're not a lost cause, Rick. You're just lost. But so is everyone. Our lives are monumentally screwed up, and they have been for a while, and they'll continue to be for the foreseeable future. But we've got each other, and not to be all cheesy 'cause frankly I'd disgust myself, but we've been doing pretty good with just that so far. Besides," She grinned,"What's more fun? Being a kick-ass vampire hunter or a boring history teacher?"

"Are you saying you thought I was boring?"

Evanna laughed,"No, you were quite interesting, Ala-ric from _Boston_."

Sheila smiled at her granddaughter's teasing,"I mean, really, Alaric. Why would you ever want to give up that?"

Alaric chuckled, watching Evanna's mouth fall open at her grandmother.

"Hey!"

Evanna glanced out the window, and saw Damon appear through the trees. Throwing open the door, she hurried out of the car and up to him.

"Are you okay? Did you -?"

"I didn't get bit." He waved her off, and turned to Alaric,"Hey, Rick, you didn't happen to see where I parked my car did you?"

Evanna frowned, listening to the two men talk. There was definitely something up with him.

Damon's entire body was tense, his lips pressed in a thin line and his expression stoic.

They said their goodbyes, and Damon began walking in the direction of his car. Evanna turned to leave too, and then thought better.

"Hey, guys, give me a minute, okay?"

Alaric nodded, and she turned, jogging after Damon. She caught up with him around the corner and called out.

"Wait up."

Damon took a deep breath and turned around,"What is it?"

Evanna's eyebrows were creased with concern,"Are you sure you're okay - and _don't _lie to me."

Damon exhaled, leaning against his car,"I was wrong."

"About what?"

"Stefan." He replied,"I thought he was gone, but I was wrong."

Evanna's eyebrows rose as she turned to look back towards the woods,"He's out there? You saw him? Is he okay?"

"No, Evanna, he's not okay. He's an insufferable martyr that needs his ass kicked... but he can be saved."

"What happened out there? What changed your mind?"

"I changed my mind because even in his darkest place, my brother still can't let me die. So I figure I owe him the same in return. I'll help you bring him back."

Evanna smiled softly,"Thank you."

"But before I do, I need you to answer one question; what made you change your mind?"

"What do you mean?"

Damon stood just inches away,"You were so hellbent on staying on that mountain, then you just gave up. So what changed your mind?"

"We were under attack, Damon."

"You're a witch, you had Sheila and Alaric and a bag full of weapons. You could have kept going."

"It was too dangerous."

"It was too dangerous going out there to begin with, so what was it?"

"Why are you pushing this?"

"_What _changed your mind, Evanna?"

"I didn't want to see you get hurt, okay? Not two and a half months ago, you were on your death bed because of some stupid werewolf nibble. I was..." She hesitated before admitting shyly,"I was worried about you."

Damon smiled,"Thanks."

He bypassed her and headed for his car. Evanna huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I worry about you. Why do you even have to hear me say it?"

Damon walked back to her and cupped her cheeks, leaning down to stare into her eyes,"Because when we get Stefan back and this is all over, I want you to remember how you felt when it was happening."

Her eyes flashed to his lips, and his went to hers before he retreated back towards his car.

"Goodnight, Evanna."


	3. Chapter 3

**Vampire Diaries**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

The next morning, Damon was drinking from a blood bag when his phone began to ring,"You're interrupting my drink."

"You miss me?"

"Katherine." He groaned, rolling his eyes,"Where are you?"

"Lurking outside your window, pining away."

"What do you want?"

"I'm homesick. What have I missed?"

"Well, Stefan's still Klaus' little prisoner and everyone still thinks they can save him and no one's thought about you since you left."

"And what about you? I'm sure you're moving in on baby witch. You haven't given up on your brother already, have you?"

"I didn't give up on him. I just don't know where he is."

"Hmm."

"But you do." Damon realized,"Are you trailing them?"

"A hybrid who wants me dead and his sidekick who's off the rails? I couldn't be further away."

"Which means you know exactly where they are."

"All I know is that Klaus pitched a fit once his hybrids didn't work. Now he's looking for some answers."

"How do you know that?"

"Spend 500 years running, and there will be a few people along the way that are looking out for you."

"Is that what you're doing? Looking out for my brother?"

"Maybe, maybe not. I'm conflicted."

"Where are they?"

* * *

Evanna rolled over in her bed, asleep.

The sun was right in the middle of the sky, but she had no plans to wake up anytime soon. In her sleep, she felt something other than her pillow beneath her head, and opened her eyes halfway. She saw the buttons, and the fabric of a black shirt, and moved her head up.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty."

Evanna gasped and jumped away from him, clutching the sheets tighter to her chest.

"Damon!"

"You know you were dreaming about me." He continued a smirk on his face,"It's fine, you can admit it."

Evanna scoffed, hitting his side,"You better have a _really _ good explanation for this, especially because it's only, like..." She ran a hand through her hair and glanced at the alarm clock,"Oh, my God. Six A.M.? Seriously? You have nothing better to do at six A.M.? You suck!"

"Fine, don't come with me to bring Stefan home. See ya."

Damon got off her bed and went to her dresser.

Evanna climbed over the duvet and perched on the end of the bed,"Wait, what are you talking about? Where is he?"

"Windy city."

"He's in Chicago... how do you know?"

"It came to me in a dream. I was naked; you would have loved it. Start packing."

"Is he okay?"

"Well, let's just say he's not there to meet Oprah." Damon remarked, sitting back down on her bed.

"Alright, give me ten minutes to shower and we can go."

Damon wriggled his eyebrows,"Need any help?"

Evanna turned around, her smirk sinfully seductive as she batted her eyelashes mischievously,"Sure..."

Damon's grin dropped and he gulped,"What?"

Evanna began to giggle, pointing behind him,"Can you hand me that hair brush?"

Damon groaned, grabbing it and handing it to her. She sauntered off into the bathroom, laughing as he called out after her.

"Tease!"

* * *

Damon carried her duffel bag into the kitchen, where Jeremy, Alaric and Elena regarded them oddly.

"When'd you get here?" Elena asked him.

"About five to six."

Evanna's eyes flew to him,"You were there for five whole minutes?"

"You're interesting when you sleep."

Jeremy laughed from the kitchen counter,"Did she talk?"

"I haven't talked in my sleep since I was ten, Jer."

"Why are you packed up?" Alaric asked, nodding at the pink duffel bag.

"Got a new Stefan-location. We're heading to Chicago."

"Can I come?" Elena asked, standing up.

Evanna raised an eyebrow,"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Go pack."

Elena ran upstairs and Damon turned to Evanna,"It's nice how you run things by me."

"Like you ran everything by me all summer?"

"Touche."

* * *

"I sure hope we find him, 'cause it would suck if the last momento of Stefan was that crappy old necklace."

Elena touched her necklace protectively,"It's an antique, Damon."

Evanna snorted, in the middle of texting Meredith,"Like you."

Damon took a diary from the glove compartment and held it up,"Read this. Paints a pretty little picture of Stefan's first experience in Chicago."

"It's Stefan's diary." Elena protested,"I'm not going to invade his private thoughts."

"You need to be prepared for what you're about to see."

"I've seen Stefan in his darkest periods. I can handle it."

Damon shrugged and opened the diary himself,"Here's one. March 12, 1922." He began to read it, changing his voice to make it seem really dramatic,"_I've blacked out days. I wake up in strangers' blood, in places I don't recognize with women I don't remember._" Damon gasped, looking at Evanna,"I'm shocked! Stefan's not a virgin?!"

Evanna rolled her eyes and set her phone on the dashboard.

She took the diary and handed it back to Elena,"Eyes on the road, grandma."

"Fine." He sighed as Elena began to read quietly in the backseat,"Back to my game. Tell me if you see a Florida plate."

* * *

Evanna followed behind Elena as Damon led them to an apartment.

"Stefan could have lived anywhere in Chicago, and he chose here?"

"There used to be an all-girls high school around the corner, but it shut down for attendance issues. Weird." Damon informed them, opening the door.

"If you're trying to scare me into giving up and going back, it's not going to work." Elena shook her head.

Damon put a finger to his lips,"Ssh."

They walked inside and looked around.

"Here we are," Damon announced,"Stefan's second personality home."

Elena ran a finger over a dusty desk,"He obviously hasn't been here in a while."

"Tour's not over yet." Damon added, heading over to a wall and opened a hidden door.

Evanna noticed the alcohol inside and rolled her eyes sarcastically,"Stefan hid his alcohol? What a monster..."

Damon gripped her wrist and pulled her in front of him,"Look harder."

Evanna tilted her head,"It's a list of names."

"Mm-hmm."

"Are they his victims?" Elena questioned quietly.

Damon glanced over Evanna's head at the doppelganger,"Still handling it?"

Evanna tilted her head back and looked up at him,"What were _you_ doing in the 1920s? Paving the way for women's liberation?"

"I was around. Chicago's a big city. Stefan was a cocky ripper douche. But I could avoid him and still indulge in a few Daisy Buchanans of my own."

Evanna scrunched up her face in disgust and slipped back into the main room.

Damon walked past her and headed for the door. Elena frowned,"Where are you going?"

"His old stomping ground."

"We're coming with you."

"No, you're not. You two are going to stay here and whip up an actual plan. I'll come back when I find him."

* * *

Evanna paced around the apartment as Elena read Stefan's diary.

Suddenly, she stopped, her senses going into overdrive.

"Elena, come here." She whispered.

"What?" Elena whispered back, standing up.

"I'm sensing vampire, and it's not Damon. Get in the closet."

Elena climbed in and Evanna followed, closing the door behind them. She cast a spell that masked their heartbeats, scents and pulses (a cloaking spell) and held her breath.

"What a charming little homestead. Do you feel that? Is anybody here?" Klaus said, feeling the difference in the air.

"It's been vacant for decades. People must break in all the time. Why'd you bring me here?"

"Your friend, Liam Grant, the one who drank his wife's blood... I never could figure out why you wanted his name. And then you told me your little secret. It was all part of your special little ritual."

The two girls looked at the list of names and spotted _Liam Grant_'s name scrawled on the board.

"To write it down." Stefan continued.

"And relive the kill... Over and over again." Klaus added. His footsteps got closer and the door opened,"Believe me now?"

Stefan's head appeared at the doorway, and he looked shocked to see them there,"Look what I found."

They stared at him, waiting for Klaus to find them and end the whole thing.

Stefan plucked a bottle off a shelf,"1918. Single malt."

"My favorite. Let's go and find someone to pair it with."

Stefan gave them one last look and closed the closet door. Evanna and Elena shared a look and Evanna reached for her phone as soon as the door closed.

* * *

Evanna had made sure Elena had the vervain dart when she peeked out of the closet door.

Evanna stepped out and glanced around. The doorknob began to twist and Damon walked in.

"Finally! I texted you an hour ago!"

Elena came out of the closet then and lowered the dart as Damon tossed her a bag,"Make yourselves presentable. I know where Stefan's gonna be tonight."

"We told you that Klaus almost discovered Evanna today and you're worried about what we're wearing?"

"I had an hour to realize what a bad idea it was to leave you here alone, process it, and move on." He turned to Evanna,"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, good. Get dressed. The road-trippy look doesn't work for a club."

"So you know where he's going to be?" Evanna asked as Elena headed into the bedroom.

"Yes, with Klaus. So I'll distract Klaus and Elena will deal with Stefan. You, stay out of Klaus' sight."

"Alright, will do."

"But Elena's going to have about five minutes tops before that hybrid freak rips my heart out. You know her better than anyone, can she do this?"

"Yeah," Evanna nodded,"She can do this."

"Okay. Go on, get dressed."

* * *

Elena had worn the dress that had a purple top, black belt and zebra print skirt.

Elena paired it with black ballet-flats and kept her makeup slight. Evanna did the same with her makeup, and wore skinny denim jeans, a peach pinl halter top and matching flats.

She tied her curly hair into a high ponytail and swept her bangs into a side fringe before they left the apartment.

"Well, aren't you a sight..." Damon commented as Elena headed down to the car.

Evanna glanced at him sideways,"I have to admit. You've got nice taste."

"I know you better than you think. Dresses are a no-no when possible. I was going to get you a frilly yellow number but I like my body not being on fire."

"Smart choice."

* * *

Damon walked into the bar as Evanna and Elena waited by the car.

A few seconds later, Damon came out, Stefan behind him.

"What is wrong with you?!"

"What is wrong with you? You kill Andie one day, you save my life the next. What are you good, bad? Pick one!"

"Klaus almost saw Evanna today. You have to get her out of Chicago! And you brought Elena?"

"She brought herself. And Evanna's not going anywhere until she's got you checked into vampire rehab and on the mend. Trust me. I've tried."

"She is the key to everything. Klaus can't know that she's alive."

"What are you talking about?"

"She was supposed to die in the sacrifice and she didn't. Now Klaus can't create any new hybrids. His witch is seconds away from figuring that out. Get her out of here! And tell Elena to go home and forget about me; she's better off."

Damon glanced at the two girls,"Tell her yourself."

Elena stepped forward as Damon slotted himself beside Evanna. They both turned and walked away from the couple, deciding to give them privacy.

* * *

Damon grabbed Evanna's arm and stopped her from walking,"I'm gonna distract Klaus. Stay close, but not _too_ close."

"Will you be okay?"

"We'll see."

"Thanks for the confidence..."

Damon smirked and went inside as Evanna decided to take a little stroll. She wondered what everyone at home was doing and decided to take out her phone.

_Caroline, haven't heard from you in days? Where are you?_

Evanna sent the text to Caroline and pulled up Meredith's number.

_What'chu dooooooooing?_

It only took a minute for Meredith to text back.

_Trying to get a hold of Caroline. Tyler said she didn't show at the Grill the other day and she's not answering._

Evanna frowned.

_I just texted her there. Wait, isn't her dad in town? Maybe she's hanging with him?_

Evanna sat on a small wall and waited for a reply.

_Maybe. How's Chicago?_

Evanna typed back quickly.

_Meh... spent most of the day hiding out in one of Stefan's apartments. Came close to being seen by Klaus, and now we're outside a club. Damon's inside distracting Klaus while Elena has a heart-to-heart with Stefan. _

Meredith's reply came fast.

_Oh, be careful. You think Stefan will come home now?_

Evanna glanced up and spotted Damon coming outside, blood on his shirt.

_Hard to tell. Mere, I've gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow._

She put her phone in her pocket and hurried over to Damon,"What happened?!"

"Klaus was mean. Let's go."

They reached the car and spotted Elena in the backseat.

Evanna squeezed her knee,"Hey, you okay?"

"Fine..." Elena said, staring out the window and playing with her necklace,"Let's just go."

* * *

Elena and Evanna headed to Caroline's house as soon as they got home.

It was almost midnight, but when your friend is betrayed by their own father, you show up.

"Hey, Liz." Elena said, stepping inside,"How's Caroline?"

"Upset. Tyler and Meredith are with her."

They nodded and headed upstairs. Evanna opened the door and they walked inside.

Caroline cracked a small smile,"You two are very dressed up to see little old me."

Evanna glanced down at their outfits and grimaced,"All part of the job. How're you doing?"

"Better, now that I've had blood. Elena, are you okay?"

Elena nodded,"I'm not the one you should be worried about."

"Stefan didn't come back with you guys?" Tyler asked, making Elena shake her head.

"No. He says he doesn't want to come home."

"Personally, I think he's lying." Evanna admitted,"Mystic Falls is much more interesting. What other town has such a high mortality rate?"

Tyler pumped his fist in the air,"We suck!"

This drew a laugh from the group and their conversation went to light-hearted subjects.

It was the calm before the storm.


	4. Chapter 4

**Vampire Diaries**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Note: It's late, and I'm really tired, so if I've skipped over any mistakes, it's because I literally couldn't tell you my name right about now. Pretty sure there's a G in there somewhere.**

**But regardless, enjoy!**

* * *

Damon arrived at the Gilbert house early the next day, mainly because they were all invited to a Lockwood party and he'd promised to help Evanna contribute.

Evanna had dressed in a brown camisole with a off-one-shoulder white crochet jumper, acid-wash jean shorts and brown cowboy boots. She stood over a pot of chili as Damon hung around the kitchen.

"I just don't know why you want to bring chili to a potluck. Everybody brings chili."

Alaric walked into the kitchen then and looked surprised to see Damon already there, bright and early, two days in a row.

"Hey, Rick."

"What's up?"

"What time do you want to go to the Lockwood party?"

Evanna asked, pushing her hair behind her ear.

"Ah. Those founders parties aren't really my thing."

"Show up, there's going to be nine other people that brought chili."

Evanna waved a spoon in his direction, rolling her eyes,"It's a family recipe, okay?"

Damon slid in beside her,"I know. I knew your family, and both sides made sucky chili."

He grinned down at her, letting her know he was teasing. She scoffed with a giggled and nudged his side. He nudged her back and she continued cooking.

Alaric's eyes snapped between them suspiciously, and he asked,"What are you doing here, exactly?"

"Thought I'd stop by. Figured Evanna wasn't going to give up on bringing Stefan home even though he says he wants to stay with Klaus."

Evanna smiled,"I'm relentless." She stated cutely, adding a bit more spice to the chili,"Which reminds me, I need to wake up Jeremy... _again_."

* * *

Damon went home to get changed eventually.

Elena opened the front door for Caroline, who held out a pot. She was a lot cheerier than she had been the night before.

"I come bearing gifts!"

"Please tell me that's not chili."

Meredith appeared beside the blonde,"It's not. Let me guess, Evanna made chili."

Elena nodded,"It's on the stove cooking. Gilbert family tradition and all."

The girls entered the kitchen and spotted Evanna. Elena put Caroline's contribution on the counter and went to help Evanna pour the chili into different pots.

"Do you think Damon will hurt my dad?" Caroline asked as she slid onto a stool.

"No," Evanna shook her head,"Liz is with him, she's authorizing everything. I'm sure Damon will just compel him into leaving town."

Meredith sampled the chili and nodded,"When'd you learn to cook chili?"

"Damon helped a little."

"You're cooking with Damon now?" Caroline asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You know," Elena began,"You two did seem a little chummy in Chicago."

"All of you stop judging. We're friends... _just _friends."

"What makes you think we were suggesting otherwise?" Meredith smirked, earning a glare.

"_Please_, like you guys suggest anything else."

In the midst of her laughter, Elena gasped and gripped her necklace.

Evanna's eyes whipped to her,"Did I splash you?!"

"No, it's my necklace." Elena pulled the necklace away from her flesh and looked at the burnt skin underneath,"Ow."

"Don't worry, a little magic will hide that."

* * *

Elena had taken the necklace off as Evanna cast the spell to heal her skin.

Evanna frowned and moved to pick up the necklace, but it burned her too.

"Ouchie!" She yelled in a child-like voice,"Bad necklace!"

"Necklaces don't usually burn people." Meredith stated,"Someone could be making it burn."

Caroline glanced between her friends,"Dun, dun, dun..."

* * *

In Chicago, Stefan, Klaus and Klaus' sister Rebekah (Stefan's ex) stood around Gloria, the owner of the bar they'd been at the night before.

"I found it."

"Where is the necklace?" Rebekah questioned, impatient.

"It doesn't work like that, doll. I get images. There's a girl with her friends..."

"Yes, a dead girl with dead friends, if I don't get my necklace back." Rebekah commented.

"Well, I'll have to dive back in to get the details."

"So dive." Klaus shrugged.

"I need more time. And space. You're harshing my ju-ju."

"We can wait." Klaus said, unwavering.

"I'm sure you can. But that's not what I asked."

Stefan could feel their carefully pieced story of Evanna's death unraveling, and his concern for Elena pushed him to say,"Hey. Hey, you know, why don't we just come back later? I'm hungry anyway. I'll let you pick who we eat."

Klaus glanced at Rebekah and they followed him out.

* * *

They'd had to head to the party, but Meredith found a bench away from the crowd, and soon enough, Caroline and Evanna joined them.

Evanna set her grimoire on her knees,"I have an identification spell that might be able to tell me what magic affected the necklace."

Elena handed the necklace to her, and Evanna opened the book,"It might take a while, so warn me if someone is coming, okay?"

Caroline pursed her lips,"So, this whole 'friends' deal with Damon... just how _friendly _ are you guys?"

Evanna's eyes snapped up,"What?"

Meredith squeezed Caroline's arm,"Caroline..."

"Stay focused." Elena told her cousin, who shook her head and went back to the spell.

"What?" Caroline asked,"I just wanted to know what it was with the Gilbert girls and the Salvatore boys. As your friend who worries for you daily, what is the deal with you and Damon?"

"There is no deal. He's been just as focused on finding Stefan as I have. No room for anything personal, Care." Evanna answered, all the while keeping up the spell.

"Yeah, but that doesn't make him any less Damon. If my own father, who I love dearly, can't change me, no one's changing Damon. Not even you."

Meredith frowned,"Why are we talking about this? Evanna's doing a spell, grill her later."

"Uh, Evanna!" Elena called, pointing at the necklace.

"Are you doing that?" Caroline asked, afraid of the answer.

Evanna tilted her head at the levitating necklace,"Nope. It's got its own magic."

* * *

Damon smirked at the amount of chili brought to the party.

This town would never be unpredictable to him.

He uncapped a beer and took a sip as Alaric came up to him. He handed Alaric a beer too,"I'm going to let you in on a little secret... Founders parties are just an excuse for the council to gather in back rooms and plot against vampires."

Alaric nodded,"Hey, uh... can I give you some advice?"

"What?"

"I think you should take a beat when it comes to Evanna."

Damon paused,"Excuse me?"

"Whatever it is you two have going on, I think it's a bad idea."

"I don't really think it's your problem, Rick."

"It is my problem. Her parents trusted me with looking after her, and this is me doing that."

"What do you think I'm doing, exactly?"

"I don't know, I just think you need to take a beat before something does happen."

Damon pursed his lips, narrowing his eyes.

_A little too late for that, Rick._

Liz rejoined them then, ending the conversation.

"Damon? Sorry. Uh, the mayor just called for the council meeting."

* * *

Stefan walked back into the bar and met Gloria.

He had told Klaus and Rebekah that he had to go write a name on the wall, when really he was just making an excuse.

"There you are."

"Thought you were resting."

"Well, now we both have a secret."

"What did you see?"

"It's what I heard that's interesting. You know, the girls with the necklace, they were talking about your brother."

"Yet you didn't tell Klaus. Why?"

"'Cause I wouldn't help that hybrid half-breed with anything. The necklace is a talisman from the original witch herself. I want it."

"Well, I'm sorry. I can't help you."

"Don't be difficult. You know, I'd hate to have to tell Klaus what a liar his sidekick is."

Stefan didn't relent and she gave him a headache, bringing him to his knees.

"Guess I've got to get it out of you the hard way, huh?"

* * *

Caroline got word from Liz that her dad was there, so they hid out in Tyler's house.

Elena and Meredith talked in the kitchen, Caroline was with Tyler upstairs and Jeremy and Evanna were going through the grimoires.

"Okay, tell me if you see anything in these grimoires that involves precious metals or a symbol that resembles a necklace."

"Wait, can't you just ask all the dead witches you were channeling?"

"Meh, they cut me off."

"Since when?"

"Since I brought you back to life. I messed with the balance of nature and there were consequences. Hey. I'm sorry. I know I should have told you. I told Elena when it happened. I just didn't want you to feel weird about it, you know?"

"Hey, no, no, look, you don't have to apologize for anything. okay? You didn't do anything wrong."

"Jer, Elena told me you've been having a hard time since then."

"No, I'm fine. You know, just been, ah, a little out of it lately. So should I concentrate on the older books? Or, uh, I mean, how old is this necklace?"

"Old."

Jeremy chuckled and began looking through a grimoire.

"Jeremy..." Anna called,"The darkness, it's here."

Jeremy glanced at his cousin and noticed she didn't hear Anna.

Suddenly, the grimoires went up in flames and Evanna jumped. She threw it off Jeremy's lap and used her powers to put the fire out.

"What happened?" Jeremy questioned, standing up.

"I have no idea."

* * *

Stefan was now paralyzed on the pool table due to a spell.

Gloria had used all kinds of poisons on him, including vervain, but he still didn't give her the story.

"I'm impressed. You've got discipline, Stefan. It's not going to do you much good, but... Just let go, honey."

She rubbed red powder onto her hands and put them on his chest. It began to burn and she was hit with images of him and Elena; including when he gave Elena the necklace.

"There's the girl with the necklace. You love her. You'd do anything for her. And you have. For her, for her family. Her cousin, you're friends with her. Oh, a lot of darkness surrounding this cousin. Why would Klaus be interested in her?" Gloria opened her eyes,"She's a witch. She's the electi."

"Don't do this. Don't do this."

"She's supposed to be dead, and that's why Klaus can't make hybrids, isn't it?" Gloria laughed.

"This is creepy." A voice said from behind them.

Gloria turned around and Katherine sped over, staking Gloria in the neck. Gloria fell to the ground, dead and Katherine stared at Stefan.

"Maybe you do need my help, after all."

Katherine freed him from the restraints,"I've been thinking about your diabolical plan."

Stefan put his shirt back on, rooting around in the back of the bar for a large sheet to wrap Gloria's body in,"Oh. Do tell."

Katherine set a hand on her hip, her eyes following his every move,"Well, you must know that Klaus is too paranoid to ever fully trust you. But the sister, she loves you like it was yesterday. She's the easier mark. But you can't just pretend to care, because Klaus will know better, so you do the opposite. You bond with him; make her feel left out. That will only make her want you more."

"Oh! So you mean, I'm, uh, I'm taking a page out of the Katherine Pierce playbook."

Katherine rolled her eyes,"The only question is why, Stefan? I mean, I get it, you want to keep Klaus away from Mystic Falls, but...What else do you expect to get from it?"

"You know what's funny?" Stefan asked evasively,"You keep talking to me like I actually trust you enough to tell you anything."

"Oh, come on, Stefan, we're beyond that. I saved you from _Hilda: The High Voodoo Priestess_."

"Okay." Stefan shrugged,"I knew them, back in the twenties. They were running from someone. Someone who scared them."

"A hunter. I heard stories about him centuries ago."

"Don't you want to know why an original vampire who can't be killed is afraid of a vampire Hunter?"

"If you're planning on making a move against Klaus... I want in."

"That's good." Stefan snorted,"It's good to want things, Katherine."

"Stefan..."

"_Katherine_. I'm in this alone. If you're looking for a diabolical partner in crime, I suggest you look elsewhere."

* * *

"Did Stefan ever tell you where he got the necklace?" Caroline asked.

Elena had put her necklace back on by this stage, and Jeremy was outside loading the grimoires into Alaric's truck. Meredith had met up with her parents, and that was her done with supernatural business for the night.

"No. And I never asked."

Evanna leaned against the counter in the kitchen,"Hopefully I can figure it out."

Alaric walked inside,"Please tell me it's time to go."

"Beyond." Evanna answered,"Where's Damon?"

"Probably off somewhere doing bad things to good people. Consider me the honesty police." The blonde spotted something behind Alaric and paled.

The other three looked over and saw Bill Forbes.

"Why is he here?" Caroline asked in a small voice,"I can't..."

"Hey, it's okay. Go."

Caroline sped off and the three headed out.

"Okay," Alaric said as they headed down the steps,"What was that all about?"

"Speaking of doing bad things to good people..." Elena sighed, rolling her eyes.

The door opened behind them and Damon hurried down the steps after them,"Wait, wait. Houston, we have a problem."

Evanna looked back at him,"Where've you been?"

"Managing Bill Forbes. Apparently he's impervious to compulsion."

Alaric frowned,"How?"

"I have no idea. But he threatened to out me. Don't get me started on the irony of _that_."

"What did you do to him? How do you know the compulsion doesn't work?"

"That's not the most important piece of information I mentioned, Evanna."

Alaric turned around as they reached the car,"What does he want?"

"He wants to control the council. Says it's been compromised."

"It has!" Alaric exclaimed, throwing his jacket in the boot of his car, on top of Evanna's grimoires.

"He wants to put vervain in the town's water supply, Rick."

Elena pursed her lips,"Maybe it's not a bad idea. I mean, it'll help you keep yourself in control now that Stefan's not here to..."

"To what? To keep me in check? Make me behave? I should have killed him this morning."

Evanna sighed,"He's Caroline's dad, Damon."

"Yeah, and when I kill him, she'll have one more parent than I do."

Alaric stepped in front of him,"Oh, come on, Damon!"

"You're repeatedly killing my buzz today, Rick. Step aside."

"Yeah, it's not going to happen."

"Your temporary funeral." Damon snapped Alaric's neck.

Elena gasped and fell down beside Alaric as Evanna gaped at Damon.

"What the hell has gotten into you?"

He looked at her and left.

* * *

Stefan surveyed the coffins, hesitantly reaching out to touch the smooth lid of one of them.

"You're back. Finally. Nik went to check on the witch." Rebekah noticed him looking at the coffins,"Dreary, isn't it? The family cargo."

"Hmm. Why don't you undagger them?"

"Because he would hunt me down and kill me." Rebekah replied, somewhat forlornly,"He's a vindictive little bastard, my brother."

"But you still care about him. Why?"

"Well, I hated him for a long time. It was exhausting."

Rebekah sat down on the coffin, motioning for Stefan to join her. He did.

"You know, when I met you two, you were both on the run." He recalled, glancing at her sideways.

"Also exhausting."

"Who were you running from?"

Rebekah tilted her head inquisitively,"What do you mean?"

"Last night I saw you, there was a man looking for you. You both seemed afraid. I just... I wouldn't think Klaus would be afraid of anybody."

"No one in this world is truly fearless, Stefan. Not even Niklaus."

"Who was that man?"

Rebekah got up, walking slightly away,"I can't. Please."

"If Nik knew we were talking about this, he would..."

"No, no, no, I'm sorry." Stefan stood up,"Just forget I asked, okay?"

"He told me about the girl you loved, and your friend who died. He also told me that you're only with him because he saved your brother."

Stefan nodded,"It's true."

"I think he secretly admires that about you. You'd sacrifice anything for family. Don't tell him I told you that."

"Your secret..." He leaned down,"Is safe with me."

Rebekah's kiss lingered,"Do you think you'll ever love anyone like you loved that girl?"

"One day, maybe."

"I can always tell when you're lying, Stefan."

Stefan froze,"What? I'm not..."

"Don't bother. Your kiss already gave you away."

"Gloria's gone. She's cleared out. We need to find a new witch immediately." Klaus paused,"What's going on?"

"Something's wrong. He was asking about Mikael. He's not with us, Nik. I can sense it."

"She's wrong. Klaus..."

* * *

They put Alaric in the back of his car and Elena sat inside with him, and called Caroline.

Evanna went off in search of Damon and found him the Carol Lockwood's study - fighting Caroline while Bill bled in a corner.

"Damon!" Evanna shrieked, using her powers to throw him against a wall. He had blood down his chin.

Bill looked at her,"Evanna?!"

"Hi." She said to him before storming over to Damon,"What the _hell_ are you doing?! You can't do this anymore, Damon."

"Why not? It's nothing I haven't done before. Why is it suddenly so important for everyone to keep me in check?"

"Because this isn't you, I don't want you to be what other people think that you are."

Bill and Caroline were beginning to feel like they stumbled into a lover's tiff, but they didn't leave.

"What? A monster? Sorry to disappoint you, Evanna, but last time I checked, I was still a vampire!"

"So is Caroline! _She's_ not acting like a dick!"

"I am one, Evanna. I'm mean, I'm the bad brother. I am _not _Stefan." He walked passed her and left.

Evanna turned slowly,"I'm gonna set his ass on fire. Bill, are you okay?"

"I'll be fine."

Caroline bit her lip,"So... you're saying you and Damon are _just _friends, right? Seemed like a couple fight."

Evanna gave her a look and rolled her eyes,"I'm leaving."

"Love you!"

"Yeah, yeah."

* * *

Elena brought Alaric's body to the Boarding House, and stayed behind with him, waiting for him to wake up, but Evanna didn't trust herself not to hurl some very choice words at Damon, so she went home.

Evanna walked into Jeremy's room and saw the jeans he'd been wearing earlier had a huge scorch mark on the front.

"Hey, new look!"

"Yeah, toasted. New brand; winter 2011."

Evanna laughed and flopped down on Jeremy's bed.

Jeremy spotted Anna in his bathroom again and sighed, turning back to Evanna,"You asked me before if something was wrong and I said no."

"Yeah?"

"That was a lie. I was lying to you. When you brought me back to life... something happened..."

"What?"

* * *

Alaric and Elena came home an hour after Jeremy confessed to Evanna.

She decided to go to Sheila with it first, and that's how Sheila, Caroline and herself ended up walking through Mystic Falls Square.

Caroline didn't know about the ghost situation but she didn't need to. Not yet. Sheila headed into the post office and Caroline used the time to launch.

"I'm not going to say I told you so about Damon."

"Thank you."

"But I did tell you... so."

"Good job on not saying it."

Caroline grimaced,"Sorry."

Evanna smiled softly,"It's okay. I just... I wish I knew what got into him yesterday, because whatever it was, it wasn't Damon. Not the Damon I know."

"You guys are really close, huh?"

"Kinda." Evanna admitted quietly,"He's a good friend, really."

Caroline nodded,"I'm trying so hard to be supportive. I guess it's not that bad if you're friends with the guy. I don't trust him, but... I trust you."

Evanna welcomed the hug Caroline gave her, smiling,"Thanks. Think you could knock some sense into everyone else?"

"Well, I don't know about that."

Evanna laughed and spotted Caroline's father. Sheila came back to them just as Caroline saw him.

"Care, do you need me to...?"

Caroline nodded,"No, I got it."

* * *

"I understand where you're coming from." Liz began,"but..."

Alaric stood in front of Liz and Carol,"The Gilbert family is a founding family, and they deserve to have a voice on the council. I'm taking care of them, I should be that voice."

Carol sighed,"That's not the way it works, Mr. Saltzman."

"Oh, really? Well, then tell me how it does. The council's job is to protect the people of this town. Now _your_ daughter's a vampire and _your_ son's a werewolf. So who's looking after the actual people? Some of them may be family or friends, but they are still supernatural; Damon, Evanna, Sheila Bennett? They don't follow our rules or our laws, they look after themselves, and that's what we need to do. I'll see you at the next meeting."

* * *

Damon opened the front door at noon the next day and tilted his head,"Elena? Did Evanna send you here for something? She's still not talking to me, huh?"

Elena broke out into a familiar smirk and Damon rolled his eyes, hitting his head off the door,"Katherine... wonderful."

"Are you two lovebirds fighting?"

"What do you want?"

"I'm just a girl looking for a partner in crime. Feel like hitting the road? Getting the hell out of dodge?"

"Impeccable timing. I was told I need to take a beat."

"Is that a yes? I'll drive."

"Why not? Walls are starting to close in on me around here. Where are we going?"

"Away from here. That's all I'm going to give you for right now." Katherine held up Elena's necklace, which she'd skillfully stolen from the house,"But believe me... It's good."

* * *

Stefan groaned and woke up.

Klaus had knocked him out and now he was in a ... moving van? Klaus was in the corner, staring at him.

"Just give me a chance to explain myself, okay?"

"No need. I'm not mad, I'm just curious. Rebekah seems to think you're holding onto something. A piece of your old life. The thing is, she's got flawless instincts, borderline supernatural. So I thought I would check it out. See for myself what it is you've been hiding."

Klaus opened the back of the truck, revealing downtown Mystic Falls to him.

"Welcome back to Mystic Falls, Stefan."


	5. Chapter 5

**Vampire Diaries**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Matt was training in the high school gym when he heard a noise.

His introduction to all things supernatural had made him wary, but he still went to check it out despite instincts to run the other way.

He was led to an empty classroom and when he stepped inside, he set off mouse traps that were strategically placed on the floor. He flipped on the light switch and stared at his friends.

"Ohh! Oh, come on! Seriously?! Do you know how long it took for us to set all this up?!" Caroline whined, setting down a mouse trap.

"Forgot about senior prank night, huh?" Tyler chuckled.

"Clearly."

"How could you forget? We've only been waiting for this since like freshman year." Caroline reminded him.

"Yeah," Elena nodded,"If I'm doing this, you are too."

"I'm kind of surprised any of you are doing this."

"Caroline's holding us captive..." Evanna explained,"It's a hostage situation..."

Caroline elbowed her and the brunette laughed.

"We're about to be seniors." Caroline stated,"These are the memories that will stay with us forever, and if we don't..."

"And if we don't create these memories now, then what's the point of it all?" Each of them echoed, including Matt.

"Go ahead and make fun, I don't care."

"You're all lame." Tyler decided teasingly,"And I've got ten more classrooms to prank."

Evanna went to follow him out and Elena frowned.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

Evanna turned back with a devilish grin,"To superglue Alaric's desk shut. I'm making memories."

Caroline beamed proudly as Evanna walked out.

"Love you!"

* * *

Evanna laughed as she heard Tyler give outrageous orders to other seniors and walked through the double doors.

She turned around and gasped, coming face to face with _him_.

"There's my girl."

"Klaus!"

"You're supposed to be dead. What are we going to do about that?"

* * *

Evanna was hauled through the halls by the arm as Klaus headed for the gym.

"You put a rather large kink in my plans, sweetheart. The whole point of breaking the curse and becoming a hybrid was to make more hybrids. I haven't been able to do that. Now my bet is, it has something to do with the fact that you're still breathing."

"Don't make a speech... if you're gonna kill me, just do it."

"Not until I know I'm right. But I do have ways of making you suffer." He pushed open the doors and looked at all the students inside.

"Attention, seniors. You have officially been busted. Prank night is over. Head on home." Klaus announced, faking an American accent.

He spotted Dana and Chad and smiled,"You two. I remember you."

Dana frowned,"I'm sorry. Who are you?"

"Oh, don't worry, I wasn't in my right head last time we met - literally." He began to compel her,"Lift your foot up, please, Dana." He then looked at the boy,"If she drops her foot, Chad, I want you to beat her to death. Understood?"

"Don't, Klaus. You don't have to hurt anybody."

"Oh, come on, love. Of course I do."

* * *

Damon had been driving with Katherine since she'd turned up at the house that morning.

They'd set off around four o'clock, and it had gotten dark pretty quick. Evanna hadn't tried to call him and he knew she'd be at the high school by seven, and probably be there most of the night.

He pulled over to the side of the road, stopped the car and climbed out. Katherine followed.

"Why are we stopping?"

"I thought we might want to stretch our legs. I'm tired of driving. It's your turn."

"Fine." Katherine held up her hands and waited for him to throw her the keys.

Instead, he turned and flung them into the air, away from them.

"Hey! I..."

"We're not going anywhere until you spill your guts."

"Fine." Katherine reached into her pocket and pulled out Elena's necklace,"Do you recognize this, hmm? A little birdy told me that Klaus wants to get his hands on it."

"Why would Klaus want Elena's necklace?"

"Does it matter? He wants it, and I have it. It's leverage, Damon. Always stay one step ahead of your enemy."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"But more importantly, when I snuck into Elena's room I heard an interesting conversation between your girlfriend and baby Gilbert."

"Oh, yeah? What's that?"

"First, are you willing to do whatever it takes to stop Klaus? No turning back?"

"I'm not turning back."

"Good." Katherine walked around to the boot,"Because this isn't going to win you any points at home..."

Damon watched her open the trunk and walked over. He looked inside, and saw the unconscious boy.

"Jeremy? Really?"

* * *

Caroline smiled when she felt Tyler pull back her hair and kiss her neck.

She had been busy putting honey on the lockers with a paintbrush and thinking, that she hadn't expected Tyler.

Caroline pursed her lips and his eyebrows furrowed,"Do you think Matt's going to be okay?"

"I'm kissing you and you're wondering about your ex-boyfriend?"

"I'm asking you if you think our friend, who we both love, is okay."

"I think he probably doesn't have a lot of people to talk to anymore. I think he's struggling more than he lets on. I think that I love how big your heart is."

"I just want this school year to be great, you know? I just want everyone to be happy. Even in the midst of all the crazy unhappy bits."

Tyler shrugged and kissed her again,"I'm happy."

"You two are adorable." A voice said.

They pulled away and looked at the blonde standing there, a smirk on her face.

Caroline frowned,"Do we know you?"

"You're Caroline, Evanna's friend." She looked at Tyler,"Which makes you Tyler, the wolf."

Caroline stepped forward,"And who are you?"

"I'm the new girl." Rebekah smiled, and vamped out.

Tyler backed up,"Caroline!"

Caroline vamped out too, but Rebekah was faster and slammed her into a locker.

* * *

Meredith and Matt were by the pool, throwing toilet paper in it, and draping it over the walls, pillars and anything it'd stay on.

"This is fun, right?" Meredith said.

"You sound like Caroline."

"C'mon, I'm embracing her philosophy. You should be more into this."

"I know. Where's Jeremy tonight?"

"I haven't talked to him all day. I think he's hiding out at home; did Evanna tell you about...?"

"The ghosts? No, Jeremy did."

"So you know he's been seeing Vicki. Is it weird talking about your sister like this?"

"No, I... I just kind of want to see her myself, you know? I mean, I never got to say goodbye to her." Matt took a deep breath,"Do you realize that just last summer, you and I were lifeguards at the pool? And the only two problems I had in my life were that Elena was breaking up with me and I sucked at CPR."

Meredith sat down beside him,"Everything was so different then."

"Yeah. Now Elena's dating a vampire, Evanna's a witch, my sister's a ghost, and... I'm... I'm just a guy who's wondering how life got so screwed up."

"It's crazy, Matt. I... I can't imagine what it must be like for you."

"It just, uh, kind of explains why I'm not that into senior prank night. I'll go grab a couple more rolls. Then we'll hit the gym."

Matt headed into the bathroom and began stocking up on toilet rolls. One of the stall doors opened by itself, and Matt walked inside.

'RIP Vicki' was written on the back of the door and he gawked.

"I'm here, Mattie." Vicki said from behind him, even though he couldn't hear,"I can help you."

* * *

Dana was still on one foot, and Klaus smiled.

"Keep it up."

"Where's Stefan?" Evanna questioned,"What did you do to him?"

"Stefan's on a time out."

The gym doors opened and Matt and Meredith walked in.

Evanna rushed to get their attention,"Guys, get out of here!"

"Ooh, I love it when the loved ones get involved." Klaus turned to Dana and Chad,"You two, sit over there."

Evanna turned to Klaus,"You don't have to hurt them. I'm the reason you can't make hybrids. I'm the one to blame."

"Oh, there's no need for blame, love. Just your witchy interference seems to have caused some undesirable side effects. And since you caused the problem, I'm going to have you find the fix. Your little friends will ensure that you do it."

Rebekah entered then, dragging Tyler along behind her.

"Get off of me!" Tyler exclaimed, trying to combat her super-strength.

"Oh, hush." Klaus rolled his eyes,"I'd like you all to meet my sister Rebekah. Word of warning... She can be quite mean."

"Don't be an ass, Nik." She said, pushing Tyler to Klaus.

Evanna stepped forward, but Rebekah grabbed Meredith by the throat,"Don't try your witchy tricks. I can snap your friend's neck in a second."

Evanna turned to Klaus,"Don't hurt him."

"I'm going to make this very simple... Every time I attempt to turn a werewolf into a vampire hybrid, they die during the transition. It's quite horrible, actually." Klaus bit his wrist and forced Tyler to drink it.

"I need you to find a way to save my hybrids, and for Tyler's sake, you better hurry." Klaus snapped Tyler's neck as Rebekah set down Meredith and grinned.

"Should have brought me back faster, Nik. This is fun."

* * *

Elena had stumbled into the trouble too, and sat beside Tyler's body with Matt.

Rebekah turned her threatening to Elena, ensuring that Evanna would comply.

"He killed him." Matt whispered, astonished.

"He's not dead. Klaus's blood will turn him into a vampire." Elena comforted him.

"And if Evanna's successful, he'll live through his transition. Matt, Meredith, be dears and go fetch her grimoire from her car."

Matt glanced at Evanna and she nodded.

Matt and Meredith got up and headed out of the gym, pulling out his phone and calling Damon as he headed out.

Back in the gym, Rebekah looked Elena over,"So this is the latest doppelganger. The original one was much prettier."

"Enough, Rebekah. Take the wolf boy elsewhere, would you?"

Rebekah shrugged and picked up Tyler effortlessly, leaving the gym.

Klaus looked back at the two girls, and shrugged himself.

"Just ignore her. Petty little thing."

* * *

Katherine and Damon sat on a picnic table-top and waited for Jeremy to wake up.

"I'm listening."

Katherine tilted her head at the blue eyed vampire,"What if I told you there was a way to kill Klaus? And not Dagger dead. Dead dead."

"I'd say you were desperate and lying. Or drunk. Or desperate, lying _and_ drunk."

"Do you remember my friend Pearl?"

"Vividly."

"Centuries ago, she told me about a vampire who knew how to kill Klaus. Then she wouldn't tell me any more."

"Well, why not?"

"Because it was her leverage. She knew it was valuable information, and wouldn't share it with me."

"Well, this is all great... but she's dead."

"Which is why I never brought it up. Because she only ever told one other person."

"Who?"

"Her daughter, Anna."

"Also dead."

Katherine looked at Jeremy, who'd woken up,"Which brings us right back to..."

"To me." Jeremy stated,"Brings us right back to me."

* * *

Evanna sat on the steps beside Dana, comforting her, perched beside Elena.

"Stefan... what brings you back here?" Klaus greeted loudly as the double doors opened.

Evanna stood up and hopped off the step.

"I came to ask for your forgiveness. And pledge my loyalty."

"Well, you broke that pledge once already."

"Mystic Falls means nothing to me anymore. And whatever you ask of me... I will do."

"Fair enough. Let's drink on it. Kill them. What are you waiting for? Kill them."

"Stefan, don't. He's testing you." Elena exclaimed.

Klaus turned and hit her across the face. Elena would have fallen to the ground, but Evanna managed to sling an arm around her waist and keep her up.

Stefan rushed over to Klaus, snarling with his fangs out. Klaus grabbed him by the throat and and slammed him against the ground.

"She means nothing to you? Your lies just keep piling up."

"Let them go! I'll do whatever you want, you have my word!"

"Your word doesn't mean much. I lived by your word all summer, during which time I never had to resort to this..."

He compelled Stefan,"Stop fighting."

"No, no."

"I didn't want to. All I wanted was your allegiance. Now I'm going to have to take it."

"Don't."

"You will do exactly as I say when I say it. You will not run, you will not hide, you will simply just obey."

"No, Stefan!" Elena cried, but Evanna held her back.

Klaus could and would kill her.

"Now kill them. Ripper."

Stefan rushed over to Dana, pulled her neck to the side and drank.

* * *

"I'm not helping them." Anna shook her head.

Jeremy took a deep breath,"No, it's okay to help."

Behind them, Katherine and Damon shared a look. They couldn't see Anna, and it just looked as though Jeremy was having a one-sided conversation.

"They're looking for a way to stop Klaus."

"I don't care." Anna protested,"Katherine is not a friend to you. Neither of them are."

Damon's eyes went to the sky and he sighed impatiently,"What's she saying?"

"Well, she doesn't want to help you."

Katherine leaned over and whispered to Damon,"My advice? If you want to make an omelet, you have to break a few eggs."

Damon nodded in agreement and walked over to Jeremy,"Nothing personal, Jer."

Damon grabbed the back of Jeremy's head and slammed it off the table.

"Ow! What the hell?!"

"Jeremy!" Anna shrieked, rushing forward.

Jeremy's hand flew to his forehead as Damon looked into the air,"Anna, I know you can hear me. Tell us what you know. The sooner, the better for your little boyfriend here."

"They're looking for Mikael." Anna told Jeremy.

Jeremy looked up,"Mikael!"

"Mikael." Katherine repeated,"Is that his name?"

Damon frowned,"Who's Mikael?"

"The vampire who hunts vampires. You don't want to wake him. He will kill all of you." Anna answered him, despite knowing he wouldn't hear her.

Jeremy stared at her.

"What's she saying?" Damon asked, as Katherine huffed behind him.

"Hello!"

"He's a vampire and a Hunter, and you guys would be idiots to wake him." Jeremy repeated and looked back at Anna,"What do you mean, wake him?"

Damon pursed his lips as both he and Katherine moved,"It's time to go find the keys."

"Mmhmm."

* * *

Caroline woke up on the hallway floor and rubbed her neck.

She spotted Rebekah with her phone, sitting against a locker,"We didn't have mobile telephones in my day. Would have made life a whole lot easier, I suppose."

Rebekah took a picture of herself, as Caroline asked,"Where's Tyler?"

"He's dead. Ish."

Caroline saw him slumped on the ground and crawled over,"What did you do to him?"

"Think of it as he's having a nap. When he wakes up, he'll be a hybrid." Rebekah scrolled through Caroline's pictures and landed on one of Stefan and Elena, looking as happy as ever,"Ugh! Vomit."

A necklace in the picture caught her sight and she tensed,"Is that my neck...?"

Rebekah zoomed in on it and stormed over to Caroline.

"Why is that doppelganger bitch wearing my necklace?!"

* * *

Meredith and Matt came back with the grimoire, but Klaus was done with them.

He sent them off, and sent Elena with them after Evanna made a deal; she wouldn't do anything unless the three of them were left go.

That left her, Klaus and Stefan in the gym alone.

Stefan was feeding on Chad, and Klaus watched on proudly,"It's always nice to see a vampire in his true element. The species has become such a broody lot."

"No, _you_ did this to him." Evanna glared, a slight hint of a grimace on her face.

"I invited him to the party, love. He's the one dancing on the table."

Rebekah stormed in then,"Where is the doppelganger bitch?!"

"Rebekah ... calm down."

"No! She has my necklace!" Rebekah showed him the picture and he glanced at Stefan.

"Well, well, more lies."

Rebekah stormed up to Evanna,"Where is my necklace?!"

"She doesn't have it anymore."

"You're lying!" Rebekah vamped out and bit Evanna.

Evanna used her powers to throw Rebekah away from her, but the blonde got up and lunged again.

Klaus got her and threw her behind him,"Knock it off!"

"Make her tell me where it is, Nik!"

Klaus glanced at Evanna, who had her hand up to her neck, and walked over,"Where's the necklace, sweetheart? Be honest."

"I'm telling the truth. Katherine stole it."

"Katerina. Of course. Well, that's unfortunate. If we had the necklace it would make things a whole lot easier for you. since we're doing this the hard way, let's put a clock on it, shall we?"

Klaus hit the button for the scoreboard/clock and set the timer for twenty minutes. A buzzer rang out and the countdown began.

"Twenty minutes. If you haven't found the solution by then, I want you to feed again. Only this time, I want you to feed on Evanna." Klaus compelled Stefan,"You know I don't like people who are uncooperative."

Evanna rushed over,"No, Klaus! Don't do this to him!"

"No one leaves. If she tries to run, fracture her spine." Klaus ordered, and with one last smug smile, Rebekah followed her brother out.

* * *

"I have to back!"

"Elena," Meredith said slowly,"You can't go back in there."

"We can't leave Evanna!"

"He's not going to hurt her." Matt reminded her as they headed towards Elena's car to wait.

"But Stefan's in there too. We can't just stay out here and wait."

Meredith squeezed Elena's arm,"Evanna got us out of there for a reason, 'Lena. She's keeping us safe. She can handle this."

"But we're all older than her; we're supposed to protect her."

"We don't like it either, 'Lena. But what can we do? Klaus would kill us in a second." Matt told her, leaning against her car.

Elena pulled out her phone and typed in Damon's number,"Then let's call someone who can help."

"He didn't answer when we tried."

Elena showed them the phone and they realized as she smiled.

She was holding Evanna's phone.

"I didn't say I was calling from _my _phone."

* * *

Matt headed back inside to get his gym bag, but couldn't find his car keys.

Maybe they slipped out of his pocket when he was TP-ing the pool. He walked inside and spotted them at the end of the pool.

He shrugged off his jacket and kicked off his shoes,"You have got to be kidding me."

"Matt! I can help, Mattie, but I need you to hear me." Vicki screamed from behind him.

She huffed when he didn't hear her and kicked his shoe. It flew into the pool, and Matt jumped back.

His phone beeped with a text from an unknown number and he gasped,"Vicki?"

* * *

Outside Meredith answered her phone as Elena tried to get a hold of Damon.

"Matt, what's taking so long?"

"This is going to sound crazy, but I think Vicki's trying to reach out to me."

"What?"

"I think she can help us save Tyler."

"No, Evanna can help save Tyler."

"_If _she finds something in her grimoire. We need to try something else. I have an idea but I'm going to need your help. Meet me at the pool."

"I don't understand."

"Jeremy can see ghosts because Evanna brought him back from the dead. I need _you_ to do that for _me_."

"What?! No, Matt, that's crazy!"

"It'll work, trust me."

"Matt!" Meredith exclaimed hurrying inside,"I'm not a witch!"

"You don't need magic, Mere. You just have to be better than I was at CPR."

Elena stayed outside as Meredith ran into the pool.

Meredith spotted Matt in the water and dived in. She removed the metal weight from his body and pulled him up. Meredith dragged him from the pool and began CPR, remembering every step necessary.

"Matt, please! Come on!"

Matt gasped and flew up, coughing out water.

Meredith let out the breath she'd been holding and hugged him, rubbing his back,"You're okay. Thank God, you're okay!"

"I saw her, Mere. I talked to Vicki."

"Was it worth it?"

"Yeah. She told me the cure."

"Well, I'm not getting any younger, Mattie."

* * *

Jeremy was rubbing the spot on his head when Katherine and Damon came back.

"Don't fall asleep, Jer. You might have a concussion."

"Thanks for the concern, dick."

"Oh, stop pouting. He took one for the team. Everyone back home will thank you once Klaus is dead." Katherine shrugged with a smirk.

Damon patted his pockets,"Where's my phone?"

"Do you need to check in with Evanna? Make sure it's okay you pummeled her little baby cousin?"

"You know you have it."

Katherine took it out from the car and handed it to him,"What can I say? I needed you present here and now."

Damon glanced at his phone,"Evanna's been calling me. And Meredith and Matt texted too."

Jeremy stood up,"What is it?"

"...Klaus."

"No turning back, Damon." Katherine replied to him as he headed to the car.

"Shut up, Katherine."

"Hey, look at the big picture. The best shot at taking out Klaus is by finding Mikael."

Damon paused, and then threw the keys to Jeremy,"Stay with her so Anna can guide you. I'm going back."

"You're going to get yourself killed." Katherine called,"The Damon I remember wouldn't have been that stupid."

"I wouldn't have done it for you."

* * *

Evanna went back to the start of her grimoire and searched again.

There was no answer in there, she knew it. Evanna glanced at the clock and saw she had six minutes left. A memory hit Evanna and she shot up off the steps.

"Caroline's dad! Stefan, he was able to resist compulsion. I don't know how, but he did it. Maybe it's possible."

"Yeah, yeah. Maybe it's just mind control, right? Maybe it just takes some focus, a couple decades of training. No big deal." Stefan grumbled, sitting with his back against a wall.

"Stefan, you can control this. When that buzzer goes off, just... just drink from me."

"You don't get it. I can't stop, Evanna! I'm a ripper! A ripper doesn't stop! I listen to the words that come out of your mouth, and all I hear is the sound of your heart pumping blood through your body. And when that clock ticks down... I'm going to have to feed on you. And you want to know what's worse? I'm not going to be able to stop."

"Stefan, you can't fight this, you just have to want to."

"Why? 'Cause we're best friends?"

"No, 'cause we're family. You'll fight because after everything that we've been through, you owe me that!"

"You know what, you're right. You're right. I owe you everything. Because through all of this, you are the one thing that has kept everyone believing in me. You've kept Elena safe. But I can't help what I am, Evanna. The more blood that I get, the more I want, and if I get so much as near yours... You are dead."

* * *

Caroline, Tyler and Rebekah had moved into Alaric's classroom.

"Where am I?" Tyler asked when he woke up,"What happened?"

"Tyler!" Caroline exclaimed, sliding up beside him.

Rebekah glanced at them,"Don't be shy about it."

"What's going on?"

"Klaus is turning you into a vampire. A hybrid. You're in transition." Caroline explained gently.

"Don't leave out the hard part, sweets. You'll only survive if your witch is successful. If not... You're pretty much dead." Rebekah shrugged nonchalantly.

Caroline glared at her and turned to Tyler,"You're going to be okay. Okay? It's going to be okay."

Rebekah inspected her manicured nails,"I wonder how she's doing..."

She looked at the clock on the phone.

"Tick tock goes the gym clock."

* * *

"Vicki had a message from the witch that put the hybrid curse on Klaus."

"Evanna's ancestor?"

"Yeah, he said that Evanna shouldn't have survived Klaus' ritual. The hybrids can't transition because Evanna's still alive."

"Tyler..." Meredith sighed as they walked through the hallway.

"He's going to die, isn't he?"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Klaus said, and they both whirled around.

He was leaning against the wall. He pushed himself off the wall and began walking down the hallway.

"Given the choice, electi or a hybrid, I go hybrid every time."

* * *

Both Stefan and Evanna's eyes fell from the clock and landed on each other at the same time.

"Evanna, you're gonna have to run."

"But Klaus said - "

"I know what he said, but it won't matter if you stay. Evanna, there's no other way."

"There is. Fight it, Stefan."

"Go. Elena and Jeremy need you to stay alive."

"Elena needs _you_ too."

The buzzer sounded.

Time had run out.

Stefan vamped out and rushed over to her, but grabbed a wall and held on to it.

"Evanna, run now!"

Evanna took off running, throwing open the door and slamming it closed behind her. She hurried down the corridoors, and tried to lead him away from where anyone would be.

She could hear Stefan slamming into lockers and walls behind her, trying to stop himself from chasing after her. She reached the door leading to the exit and ran inside. Arms slipped around her stomach and she almost fell over. Klaus grinned down at her.

"We've got to stop meeting like this."

* * *

Stefan plunged a stake into his body in the cafeteria, trying to weaken himself.

Klaus hauled Evanna inside and grinned,"This is fascinating. You don't want to hurt her; she's the sister you never had. I have one, mate. You don't want one. Why don't you turn it off?"

"No!"

"Come on. Your humanity is killing you. All the guilt must be exhausting. Turn it off."

"No!"

"Stefan..."

Klaus grinned,"You're strong..." He pulled the stake from Stefan's stomach and threw it on the ground,"But you're not that strong. Turn...it... Off."

"No!" Stefan pushed Klaus away from Evanna, and Klaus pushed him against the wall, compelling him.

"Turn it off."

Evanna watched Stefan's whole demeanor change and gulped thickly,"What did you do to him?"

Klaus turned around,"I fixed him. But I think a test is in order, don't you?"

Klaus sped behind her and moved her hair to one side, exposing the bite mark made by Rebekah earlier.

"You spent all summer trying to convince me she was dead, it only seems right that you be the one to kill her. Have at it, Ripper."

* * *

Klaus walked into the classroom and grinned, showing the three inside a vial of blood he had,"Well, the verdict's in. The original witch says the electi should be dead."

Rebekah hopped up excitedly,"Does that mean we can kill her?"

"The opposite, actually."

"What?!"

"Call it a hunch, 'Bekah." Klaus crouched down beside Tyler and held out the blood to him,"Evanna's blood. Drink it."

"Tyler, don't!" Caroline exclaimed.

Klaus smiled at her,"If he doesn't feed, he'll die anyway, love. Consider this an experiment."

Tyler hesitated, not liking the idea of drinking one of his best friend's blood.

Finally, he took it and gulped it down quickly.

"There you go. Good boy." Klaus beamed.

Tyler screamed and began transforming. His eyes became yellow, veins appeared under his eyes and his fangs resembled every other vampire's.

Klaus grinned,"Well, that's a good sign."

* * *

The hospital staff consulted their records, and called Alaric and Sheila.

Elena, Meredith and Matt had run into the cafeteria to see Stefan feeding on Evanna.

He stopped when he saw them, dropped her in Matt's arms and left. They had called an ambulance and now Evanna was laying in a hospital bed. Sheila had arrived and waited with Elena outside as the nurses gave her blood transfusions.

Meredith and Matt had gone home.

Inside the room, Evanna stirred and opened her eyes.

The nurse smiled at her,"Oh, you're awake."

"Where am I?"

"In the hospital, sweetie. You suffered through a terrible ordeal."

"I ... have to get out of here."

"Ah. Not an option. You've lost a lot of blood."

Evanna glanced at the tube and frowned,"So, it makes perfect sense to take more?"

"Of course. It's very important for your friend Klaus."

Evanna tried to pull the tube out, but the nurse injected her arm with something and everything became dark.

* * *

Damon arrived at the hospital and parked beside Sheila's little BMW.

"Well, look who finally decided to show up to the party." Klaus smiled, falling into step beside him.

Damon stopped and turned,"Where is she?"

"Evanna? Ah... she's making a donation to a greater cause."

Damon headed towards the hospital again, but Klaus stopped him,"I'm afraid I can't let you interfere, mate."

"You'll have to kill me."

"Oh, I would love to kill you, but I made a pledge to your brother, and unlike him, I keep my word. Although, you know what, thinking about it now, he probably doesn't care that much anymore."

He pushed Damon against the car, and was about to rip out his heart when Damon pulled out his back up card.

"Don't you want to know about your friend Mikael?"

"What do you know about Mikael?"

"Just that he knows you're here."

"You're bluffing."

"Katherine and I found him. Consider it our leverage."

Klaus threw him on the ground, and when he got up, Klaus was gone.

* * *

Elena saw him first and hopped off the chair as he walked by.

"Where is she?"

Elena pointed to Evanna's hospital room,"In there."

"What happened?"

"Stefan bit her." Elena explained, tears welling up in her eyes,"Klaus compelled him. He turned off his humanity, Damon."

"Well... that's not good." He walked into Evanna's room and frowned at the tube.

"Why are they taking her blood?" Sheila asked, noticing the same thing he did.

"Klaus was outside. He must've compelled the nurses." Damon theorized, pulling back the bed covers.

Evanna had on a white tank top and black tracksuit pants, and looked pale. He unhooked the tube and swallowed thickly when he felt his vampire urges creep up on him.

The last thing Evanna needed was him taking a sip. He shrugged off his leather jacket, knowing it was cold outside and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Elena, is anyone coming?"

Elena glanced out the door,"No."

"Good." He slipped his hand under Evanna's knees, and the other went around her back.

"Damon...?" She mumbled hoarsely, her brown eyes opening ever so slightly.

"Hey... let's get you out of here."

She nodded and wound her arms around his neck as he picked her up bridal-style. They went back to his car, and Damon set her in the passenger seat.

"I'll take her to the boarding house. I can protect her there."

He was surprised when Sheila nodded instead of protesting.

"School starts up tomorrow." Elena reminded him,"She won't want to miss."

"I'll drive her. You two be careful. We don't know where Stefan is."

* * *

Evanna had gained some of her strength back, but Damon still insisted on helping her inside.

It was eleven o'clock, and the blood-loss was making her drowsy. Still, her emotions were out of whack and she didn't want to sleep. Elena had texted her and told her that she'd successfully convinced Sheila to stay at the Gilbert house for the night. Strength in numbers, right?

Damon came back and handed Evanna a glass,"Hey, have some bourbon. It'll help you forget."

Evanna took it and took a sip. She scrunched up her nose as the liquid burned her throat.

"Yeah, it's strong. You know I can help you forget, too. At least the memories you don't want to keep."

"No. No compulsion. I need to remember. All of it." Evanna shook her head.

Sure, Stefan had almost killed her, but this whole thing had always been dangerous. She didn't think, going in, that she wouldn't come out with battle scars.

"He's really gone this time. I watched it happen. After everything that we went through to... to help him. Now he's just... gone. Where were you, Damon?"

Damon set his hand on her knee and squeezed it comfortingly,"I shouldn't have left. I promise you... I will never leave you again."

Evanna bit the inside of her lip and nodded softly, believing him. His blue eyes were filled with regret.

"Well, isn't this cozy?" Stefan asked, leaning against the doorway,"Guess I did miss a few things."

Damon stood up and stepped forward,"What are you doing here, brother?"

"Last I checked, I live here. Klaus is gone, but he's asked me to keep watch on you until he returns. From now on, you're under my protection."

Evanna and Damon looked back at each other. Stefan looked between them and grinned.

"Oh, by all means, carry on."


	6. Chapter 6

**Vampire Diaries**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**I am so nerdy. I was listening to Pink's 'True Love' and was like 'Oh, my God, this is Evanna and Damon's theme song'. I need help :P**

**Anyway, enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review!**

* * *

Evanna stood in front of the mirror the next morning, and pulled her hair into a temporary ponytail.

The skin surrounding the two small bites had bruised, and were too noticeable to risk no concealer.

"I can get rid of those."

Evanna dropped her hair and looked at Damon,"No, it can be hidden."

She reached into the drawer of her spare room and pulled out a black scarf and wrapped it around her neck, and fixed her hair over it.

She began to do her makeup, and Damon let his eyes roam over her outfit.

Jean shorts (which she'd been favoring lately), a white camisole, black biker boots and the black scarf. She was very much a girl when it came to clothes.

She finished her lip gloss and dropped it back into her makeup bag. Her skin had regained its glow and she looked 95% back to normal.

She turned around to him and did a twirl,"How do I look?"

"Purty." He replied with a lopsided grin.

Evanna smiled,"It's what I was going for."

"Alright, let's go. Wouldn't want to be late on your first day of Senior Year."

"No, wouldn't want that..."

* * *

"Here we are!" Caroline exclaimed as she, Elena, Meredith and Evanna walked towards the school,"Senior Year!"

"Shouldn't it feel more empowering?" Meredith questioned, adjusting the strap of her bag. Evanna reached up and self-consciously played with her scarf.

"Okay. So prank night was a bust. But we are accepting it, and we are moving on." Caroline decided.

Evanna nodded,"You're right. I mean, why should I let the fact that Jeremy is seeing ghosts and I have a bite mark caused by ..." Evanna trailed off as a group of people passed,"An angry puppy?"

Caroline stifled a laugh and sighed,"Yes! And why should I let the fact that my boyfriend was turned into a hybrid put a damper on an otherwise fabulous day."

"Today's our anniversary." Elena piped up,"Technically, Stefan and I met on the first day of school last year."

The three girls looked at each other and looked to Elena.

Meredith nodded,"Okay, you win."

Evanna set an hand on Elena's arm,"Are you sure you want to be here?"

"I have to be here. I have to put it behind me. New year. New life."

The three girls shared another look before following Elena inside.

* * *

By fifth period, Evanna was tired.

"Uh, Evanna?"

Evanna stopped and looked at Alaric.

"How're you feeling?"

"Fine. More worried about Elena."

"I was talking to Damon last night, we thought it'd be best if you started training."

"I already train with my Grams."

"Not magical training. You have your powers, and that's great, but do you even know how to throw a punch?"

Evanna pursed her lips and admitted sheepishly,"I'm not a violent person... usually."

Alaric smiled,"How about after school? The woods."

"I'll meet you by your car."

* * *

Evanna stepped out into the hallway after French and heard someone call her name.

"So what? It's not cool to talk to juniors anymore?"

"Hey, Jer. Happy first day!"

"You're not mad?"

"What? That you helped Damon and Katherine? No. It would have been nice to know where you were, but it's not like you were conscious for the car ride. Did Anna help you?"

Jeremy hesitated,"Eventually. I haven't talked to Vicki in a while."

"Maybe that's a good sign."

"What, like they're going away?"

"I don't know. We're still looking for an answer but... we haven't found anything. Maybe they'll go away on their own."

"Maybe. I'll see you later, 'kay?"

Evanna nodded and watched him go, pulling open her locker. Her phone began to ring and she pulled it out, recognizing the number.

"Hey. Are you checking up on me? Because I'm fine."

"Yeah. So... You might not want to come here for a while. We have a new housemate. Barbie Klaus."

"Rebekah? She's living with you now? Why?"

"She's stranded. Apparently Klaus left her in the dust after I name-dropped Mikael."

"What about Stefan? What is he up to?"

"Oh, you know; journaling, reading... shaping his hair."

"I didn't ask what Old Stefan was doing. C'mon, I'm a big girl."

"Is that the bell? Oh...Ring! Ring! Don't want to be late."

"Damon -" Evanna sighed; he had hung up.

She closed her locker and headed off for Caroline, who'd she'd spotted down the hall. Caroline stuck a flyer up on the wall and Evanna looked at it.

"Oh, the bonfire. Forgot about that."

"You have to go. It's our first spirit squad event. And it sets the bar for the whole year."

"_Relaxer_, Care. I'll be there."

Caroline narrowed her eyes at Evanna's random piece of French,"You had Mrs. Brinsky, didn't you?"

"Oui."

"I had her in - oh." Tyler came up and planted a kiss on Caroline's lips.

Evanna noticed something red on his collar and frowned,"Uh, Ty. Is that blood?"

Caroline looked at the spot,"Oh, my God!"

She grabbed him and pulled him into the bathroom. Evanna followed and locked the door behind them.

"What's going on?!" Tyler exclaimed as he was hauled into the bathroom. Evanna checked the stalls for people and shook her head to Caroline.

Caroline turned to her boyfriend,"Vampire 101... don't wear your breakfast to school!"

"Relax, it was a blood bag."

Evanna frowned,"From where?"

"Rebekah hooked me up."

Caroline's mouth fell open,"Rebekah? And what are you even talking to her for?"

"Klaus told her to keep a watch on me. Protect his new asset."

"His what? Why are you amused by this?"

"I'm his first successful hybrid, Caroline. Don't you think that's the tiniest bit awesome?"

"Oh, wow! I cannot believe you just said that."

Evanna sensed a couple fight about to ensue and headed for the door.

"So, I'm gonna go. Good luck!"

* * *

Evanna walked down the hallway and saw Elena looking shaken.

Stefan had Alaric up against a locker.

The hallway was empty, but anyone could walk by at any second. Evanna used her powers to give Stefan a headache, which made him let go of the history teacher.

Stefan glared at her,"I'm feeling kind of hungry, you know."

"Try it." Evanna dared,"You'll be on fire before you know it."

Elena stepped up,"You can't hurt her; Klaus compelled you to protect her. Stefan, this isn't you."

"Actually, it is. You're not gonna want to get in my way. You hear me? I will see you both in history."

Stefan turned and walked away, and Alaric beckoned the two girls into his classroom.

"What the hell is he doing here?!"

"Klaus compelled him to watch over me." Evanna explained,"Apparently I'm one of Klaus's assets now that my blood is the only way to can create a hybrid."

"Now he's a bodyguard?"

"I don't know what he is," Elena sighed sadly,"But he's not Stefan."

The school bell rang and Evanna headed to her seat,"Look, his being here is not good for any of us. We have to do something."

Students filed in then.

Meredith sat beside Evanna, who had resumed her seat by the window, and Matt sat behind Meredith.

Elena sat in front of Meredith, and Caroline placed herself in front of Evanna.

Another student came in and sat in the seat beside Elena, but Stefan came in and stood in front of him,"You're in my seat."

The guy shrugged and got up. Stefan smiled at Elena, who rolled her eyes and turned away. Caroline sent him a glare and turned to the front.

"Welcome back, seniors. Let's turn our brains back on, starting with this country's original founders... the Native Americans."

"What about the vikings?" The blonde asked, walking in and taking a seat beside Matt.

"There's no evidence that Viking explorers actually settled in the United States. Who are you?"

She smiled at the group of teenagers staring at her in disbelief and answered.

"I'm Rebekah. I'm new and history's my favorite subject."

* * *

Evanna and Elena had decided to check out cheer leading tryouts.

Meredith and Caroline were both captains again, and it was too sunny to stay inside.

"So, when Alaric says training, what exactly does he mean?" Elena asked.

Evanna shrugged, leaning back against the bleachers,"I don't know. Vervain guns, stabbable dummies... we'll have to see."

Elena looked back at the field,"Uh, oh..."

Evanna looked back,"Why is Rebekah here too?"

"I don't know. She's been hanging around Tyler."

"I heard. It's weird. You know who else is weird? Matthew."

"Why?"

"Tyler said he was talking to himself in his car this morning..." Evanna trailed off and her eyes narrowed suspiciously,"Wait a minute..."

"What? You don't think he can see ghosts too?"

Evanna watched Rebekah do an impressive series of moves and shrugged,"Maybe he wanted to see Vicki."

"Is there really harm in that?"

"Guess not. I'll talk to Jer tonight. See if he knows anything."

* * *

Evanna decided, for her gym class, she'd run laps.

She had always been a fast runner, and Elena had told her to go ahead.

Elena now jogged at a regular pace on the track.

"Look at you being all fit." Stefan fell into place beside her,"Hey, you going to the bonfire tonight? Sounds like fun, right?"

"Seriously, Stefan, leave me alone." Elena said, turning and jogging the other way.

Stefan only began jogging backwards, matching her pace,"You think I'm annoying now? Wait till homecoming. Hey, who you bringing, by the way? I don't want to be weird."

A guy pushed Elena accidentally, and reached out to grab her before she fell,"I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine." She shrugged off with a smile.

"Watch it, dick!" Stefan said, pushing him down.

Elena dragged him away,"Who are you?!"

"I'm the guy assigned to protect your blood bag of a cousin. I mean, no offense or anything."

Elena rolled her eyes and walked away.

Stefan stretched out his arms in a questioning manner.

"What?!"

* * *

Alaric was busy showing Evanna how to stake a vampire using the pressurized sleeve.

Evanna kinda felt bad for the dummy; it had obviously been beaten up a few times.

"So the pressure of your punch ejects the stakes."

"Sounds easy enough." Evanna shrugged, strapping it to her wrist. She punched the dummy where the heart would be, but the stake stayed lodged in the glove.

"That's weird." She tried it again, but it didn't budge,"Must be jammed or something."

"You're not strong enough. Better start lifting some weights, put some meat on your bones."

Evanna smiled at him widely, slightly sarcastic,"Thanks for not sugar-coating it."

Alaric took something from his bag and showed it to her,"You know what this is?"

"A vervain grenade. I've used one before."

"Then you know the element of surprise is your only advantage when it comes to a vampire."

He pulled the pin and tossed it to her.

"Surprise."

Instinctively, she caught it and threw it towards a tree, away from herself. It exploded and she flew around, staring at Alaric pointedly.

"Really?!" She glared at his obvious attempt at hiding his laughter,"Real funny."

"You think I'm joking? Vampires will take whatever they want. They will hurt whoever they want. And they'll do it without remorse. It's their nature."

"You don't have to use pronouns. You can say Stefan."

"I promise, I'm as serious about this as you are. I know you want to protect yourself, and the people you love -"

"But, you think I'm crazy to believe that I can protect myself from a vampire who's flipped the switch on his humanity."

"I think, after everything, you're still willing you put yourself in danger to protect who you care about, but do it intelligently. That makes you the strongest person I know."

* * *

Evanna had given up on the dummy, and was now using the 'gym' made up in Alaric's apartment.

She was stronger than she'd originally thought, but knew she needed to be stronger than that. Maybe the others should take up training too; she wasn't the only one in danger. She was lifting weights when the door opened.

"What? Are you going to bench press a vampire?"

"Damon, do you actually know what's happening right now? Stefan called me a human blood bag. He's a completely different person."

Damon stood behind the bench and held the weight with one hand, pressing down.

Evanna was struggling, but she managed to keep it up," Ugh! What are you doing?"

"Helping you out."

"Damon!"

"Come on, Sabrina."

"Stop it!"

Damon let go of it and she set it down, pushing herself up into a seated position,"Like one obnoxious Salvatore isn't bad enough."

"You called. I'm here. What's your plan, oh warrior princess?"

"I want to lock Stefan up, at least until this Mikael guy comes, kills Klaus, and the compulsion breaks."

"Compulsion or not, Stefan's high on human blood, okay? A lot of it."

"You've gotten him off of it before."

"This is different. It's not a stint in rehab, Evanna. His humanity's gone. Light's out. No one's home."

"Then do it for me, Damon. Do you know how hard it his to watch Elena come close to breaking daily? He wants us to be afraid of him, to give up on him and I'm not going to give him that satisfaction." Evanna got up, heading for the fridge where she knew chilled water was waiting.

Damon grabbed her wrist and put it, palm down, against his chest.

"What are you doing?"

"Feel that? It's a sternum. Solid plate of bone."

He pulled her back, into his arms, and she was back-to-chest with him. Damon 's fingertips slipped under her loose vest, ghosting along the rim of her sports bra. Evanna took a deep breath, and squirmed as his breath tickled her neck, his fingertips stopping right under the last rib of her rib cage, pressing down on the flesh softly.

"Right here, just below the ribcage, next to the spine, that's your way to a vampire's heart."

He removed his hand and let her go. She stepped away from him and turned back.

"I'll do whatever it is you need me to do, Evanna."

They were in that position again; the one where one breath would make them touch and things like personal space didn't exist.

"No one is going to hurt you. Especially not my brother."

* * *

Evanna came home to take a shower before heading to school before the bonfire and then headed to school.

Alaric, Damon, Evanna, Elena, Meredith and Caroline were in Alaric's classroom by eight.

"I'll lure Stefan away from the bonfire. Then when he's distracted..."

"I'll shoot him." Alaric finished for Elena.

"Can't I just... ju-ju him?" Evanna asked.

"I don't know." Damon shrugged,"I mean, what if he pulls your hair or something?"

"I've still got powers Damon." Evanna reminded him with a dangerous smirk. Damon held up his hands in surrender.

Elena resorted back to the original conversation,"I don't trust that Stefan won't hurt her. Caroline, are you covered?"

"Yes! I will make sure that the old Forbes jail cell is prepped and ready."

Damon leaned against the window sill,"We're forgetting a key player here. Rebekah? Wherever Stefan goes, the blonde ponytail tends to follow."

Evanna turned to look at him,"Which is why it's your job to keep her away."

"How?! She's an original. Last time I checked, we're out of daggers, Evanna."

"So then preoccupy her with your... charm or something."

"Might have better luck finding the dagger." Alaric remarked, making the girls giggle.

Damon frowned,"Are you ever not going to be mad at me for a day?"

"Doubtful."

Tyler walked in then,"Sorry I'm late. What's going on?"

Elena turned to him,"We need you to raid your mom's vervain supply. Enough to keep Stefan down for a while."

"You can't do that to Stefan."

Caroline frowned at her boyfriend,"Why not?"

Evanna folded her arms,"Trust us, it's in his best interests."

"Yeah. It's not in Klaus's."

Caroline stood in front of him,"But Klaus is the bad guy, Tyler. You know, why are you acting like some freaky, hybrid, slave minion."

Damon scrunched up his face and groaned; what sucky timing,"Uh, oh..."

Alaric turned,"What?"

"Klaus made me who I am, Caroline. I owe him everything." Tyler ignored them.

Damon whistled,"Oh, boy."

"Okay, can we cool it on the commentary, please?" Evanna asked him,"What's going on?"

Damon slipped a vervain dart off the desk as Tyler began leaving.

"I should just go."

Damon sped in front of him and injected the vervain into Tyler. The boy collapsed on the floor.

"What are you doing?!" Caroline exclaimed as she rushed to her boyfriend.

"He's been sired."

Evanna raised an eyebrow,"Yeah, by Klaus. We knew that."

"Then you also know that he feels loyal to Klaus now."

Evanna had known that was a part of siring, but it hadn't clicked until then.

Elena frowned,"Loyal how?"

"He'll seek acceptance from his master. It's really rare. But maybe not so much in hybrids."

Caroline looked up,"So, how do I fix him?"

"Get a new boyfriend."

* * *

The bonfire was in full swing when they arrived.

Evanna was to get Stefan and Rebekah's attention so they knew they were at the party, and then Elena would take over.

Evanna slipped in between them,"Excuse me."

Stefan watched her pick up a beer bottle and take a long sip,"You drink now?"

"I'm having fun." Evanna shrugged,"You have a problem with that?"

Evanna took another long gulp and Stefan held out his hand to pace her,"All right, take it easy. We both know you're kind of a lightweight."

"Uh-huh. Really? You think I'm going to let a blood addict tell me how to drink?"

She turned and left, leaving them to watch her go.

She locked eyes with Elena, and gave her a short nod. Elena began walking over and Evanna joined up with Meredith.

* * *

Evanna found Jeremy and slipped in beside him,"Hey."

She'd had enough of watching Damon and Rebekah flirt; and then worse, Stefan had caught her watching and labelled her Jealous Julie.

"What's up? You drinkin' tonight?"

"Just a little. Might as well be a remotely normal teenager. Have you talked to Anna lately?"

"No."

"Have you seen Matt?"

"No... not since I saw him talking to Vicki right out in the open."

Evanna frowned,"What? Wait..." She recalled,"He drowned. And then Meredith brought him back. No!"

"You think he's trying to contact her?"

"I don't know."

"I could ask Anna; she might know something."

"I thought they were all alone over there."

"Somehow Vicki's been communicating with some super strong witch."

"Why wasn't I told about this earlier?"

"You were busy with the whole Stefan thing. I figured I could handle it."

"Hmm... stay in on a plan I have nothing to do in, or stop Matt from trying to resurrect his dead sister? Think I'll go deal with the latter."

* * *

Evanna told Alaric where she would be and promised to be back to help with the 'unconscious Stefan' chapter.

She drove to Matt's house and found him in the garage. Unconscious.

"Mattie!" She shook him awake,"What happened?"

"Evanna, it was Vicki. You need to get out of here."

"Why? Is she here?"

"No, but she's looking for you. She had a deal with the witch to restore the balance. She's trying to kill you."

Matt was kinda surprised at how well Evanna took the news that someone was going after her personally... and then he remembered - Klaus. Evanna huffed and pulled him to her car.

"So not cool, Vicki."

* * *

Alaric texted her telling her that they'd gotten Stefan unconscious and loaded into Alaric's SUV.

Elena met up with them and she and Matt headed to find Damon and Meredith in the bonfire.

Evanna got into the passenger seat and glanced at Stefan's body, tilting her head at him.

"You look not sober." Alaric said to her as she rolled down the window.

"If you think that, then I didn't drive to Matt's house."

Alaric gave her a wide-eyed look and she raised her hands,"Matt drove back, and I won't do it again! It was an emergency situation."

Alaric closed his mouth again,"Promise?"

"Scout's honor."

"You know," Alaric said, walking around the jeep,"I remember you teasing me for being a scout before."

"I was a Girl Scout for a year..." Evanna admitted, embarrassed,"That was it, though!"

"I was a boy scout until I was ten."

Evanna burst out laughing and didn't notice when her window rolled up on it's own. She did notice then the boot slammed closed and the doors locked.

"I see all the idiots came to the party tonight." Alaric mumbled to himself, picking up a gas can and setting it right.

Vicki dropped the joint she had picked up and watched the flame hit the gas, following the thin trail that lead to the rubber tires. Alaric turned around as he saw his car begin to burn with Evanna inside.

Evanna's eyes widened, and she momentarily had a flash back to that time last year, when she had been in the exact same position.

"Ooh, bad memories." Evanna coughed through the smoke, trying to open her door.

Alaric appeared at the window and tried to pull it open too.

"Vicki, this isn't cool!" She called through the smoke, coughing.

"I'm sorry, Evanna." Vicki whispered from beside the gas can.

The fire was growing stronger, so Evanna thought of the only thing she could do. Vicki's witch was combating her own magic. She climbed over the seat into the trunk and shook Stefan awake.

"I'd wake up if I were you - unless you want to be Smoked Stefan with a side of Crispy Car."

Stefan opened his eyes at that and looked around,"What is with you and cars?"

"Not my fault, Stefan." Evanna coughed,"Vicki's doing this."

Stefan glanced around again and realized they didn't have much time. He pulled up his legs to his chest and kicked out, breaking the boot door off its hinges.

He hopped out, turned and held his hand out to Evanna. Evanna took it and followed as they hurried away from the car. They watched it burn as Elena, Meredith, Matt, Jeremy and Damon ran up. Evanna had pulled her bag out too, and grabbed her grimoire.

"Alright, Matt, c'mere."

"Why?"

"I know a spell that can block whatever magic is helping Vicki."

Matt stepped forward,"What do I do?"

"Give me your hand." Evanna was aware of how her throat was sore from the smoke, but she took a deep breath and cut Matt's hand with a pocketknife Meredith had given her.

"What is she doing?" Vicki asked.

Matt looked at her,"Fixing my mistake."

"Is Vicki here now?" Elena asked him and he nodded, looking back at his sister as Evanna said,"She's still here because you're holding onto her, Matt."

"Matt, please."

"I can't let you hurt anyone, Vicki."

"I won't. I'll stop. Just, please, don't make me go."

"I have to. This is wrong. You shouldn't be here."

"I'm sorry. I just didn't want to be alone anymore."

"Neither did I. But I have to let you go."

Evanna began to finish the spell and squeezed Matt's hand in her own. Matt looked at his sister as she disappeared.

"Goodbye, Vick." He looked back at Evanna,"She's gone."

Elena rubbed his back,"We're sorry, Mattie."

"She had to go. I get it." Matt shrugged.

He cracked a small smile,"Ava, you have horrible luck with cars."

"Oh, shut up!"

* * *

When they got back to the boarding house, Evanna went upstairs to treat her burns.

Elena and Alaric stayed downstairs as Stefan disappeared somewhere. She was in Damon's bathroom, as she didn't have a first aid kit in the spare room.

Damon came in and made her hop onto the counter, refusing to let her do it herself. She had a burn on her cheek, a small one, and Damon was holding the burn cream in his hands.

"Give it to me. I can do it."

"No, let me."

"Damon, as sad as it is to admit, I've done this before. Gimme."

"Evanna, you almost got barbecued. The least I can do is apply first aid."

Evanna's shoulders slumped and she gave in. He began to dab the cream on her cheek with a Q-tip as she talked.

"You played your part of the plan really well tonight."

"Oh, yeah?"

"You had Rebekah drooling all over you and your marshmallows." Did she sound jealous? She wasn't sure.

"Yeah, before she _skewered_ me," Damon scoffed,"I thought you were too drunk to notice."

Evanna played with her fingers and shrugged,"I was faking most of it."

"So was I."

Evanna's eyes snapped to his in surprise at his admission. He'd finished dabbing her cheek and was screwing the cap closed.

Gradually the twisting got slower as he stared into their eyes.

_Uh, oh_, her brain chimed in, _danger zone. Back away, Evanna, back away._

But... she couldn't. She'd always been a sucker for blue eyes... or maybe she was just a sucker for Damon.

"Ready to get going, Evanna?"

They jumped and broke eye contact.

Damon looked at Alaric and sighed to himself; why were all of her friends such cockblocks?

Evanna nodded and slid off the counter, walking over to him.

"Great work tonight, Rick. Sorry about the car, man. Bummer."

Damon's eyes followed Evanna out, so he didn't miss how her eyes remained locked with his before she disappeared around the corner.

* * *

Alaric and Evanna walked down the stairs and Evanna elbowed him teasingly,"It's okay if you wanna be friends with Damon again."

"I don't."

"I think he kinda misses you."

They could hear Stefan and Elena talking, and Alaric moved to walk inside. Evanna grabbed his arm, and shook her head.

"Will she be...?"

"She'll be fine. C'mon, you can drive my car."

* * *

"Well you got me tonight. Definitely wasn't expecting that." Stefan admitted as he paced in front of Elena.

"That was the point." Elena said, heading for the steps.

"Elena, wait. After everything I've done, you... you still think I'll be able to find my humanity again?"

"Yes, I do. I know who you really are better than anyone, Stefan. And I'm not giving up."

"Elena, do you have any idea how pathetic that makes you?"

"No, Stefan... it makes me strong."

* * *

Jeremy sat in his bedroom.

He heard his sister and cousin talking as they walked up the stairs and lay back on the bed. It had been a long night and he was ready to sleep.

"Jeremy?"

"Anna?!"

She perched on his bed,"I shouldn't be here."

"No kidding."

"Were you thinking of me?"

"I didn't think I was. Look, I don't know. Okay. I don't know what I'm doing, Anna. The problem is I don't think I can stop thinking about you."

"I can't stop thinking about you, either." She confessed, moving to sit beside him.

"What are we going to do?"

Anna raised her hand, palm out, and on a whim, Jeremy did too. He felt her hand, and felt as shocked as he looked.

He took her hand,"Do you...feel this?"

"What's going on? I can feel you. How can I feel you?"

* * *

Damon stared down at the spot of blood, caused by Stefan's feeding habits, on the rug.

He began rolling it up, deciding to replace it. Behind him, he heard a vase collide with a wall and shatter into a million pieces.

"Keep it up, Stefan. I _will _ ground you." He walked over and began picking up the pieces.

Something hit him, hard, and he was sent sprawling to the floor. Damon turned around and stared up at the ceiling, unable to see any attacker.

Standing over him, Mason grinned in delight when he realized Damon couldn't see him.

"Oh, this is gonna be fun."


	7. Chapter 7

**Vampire Diaries**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Stefan walked into the living room and noticed the broken glass instantly.

He glanced over and saw Damon tied to a chair. His ring was on the floor and a poker from the fireplace was stuck in his chest.

"Low blow, Stefan. Low blow."

Stefan chuckled,"What the hell happened to you?"

"Whatever twisted ripper game this is, leave me out of it."

"I didn't do this."

"Quit screwing around!"

"Damon, I didn't do this..." Stefan lifted up one of the chains on the ground and felt the weight of it,"Pretty messed up, though, isn't it?"

"You _think_?!"

Stefan shrugged and gripped the poker pulling it out.

Damon gritted his teeth and cried out in pain before Stefan began removing the chains but stopped and let them drop.

"See you later, brother."

"Yeah, I'll just untangle myself!" Damon called after him.

"Have fun!"

Damon grumbled to himself. Suddenly, the blinds were yanked open and the sunlight filled the room along with Damon's screams of pain.

* * *

Evanna was brought into town by Meredith, Alaric and Jeremy to help set up for the Night of Illuminations.

Basically, they were hanging lanterns from trees. And, of course, Carol was making a speech.

"As a long-time member of the historical society, I am especially proud to be kicking off this day of festivities. Thank you, volunteers. Tonight, we turn off our town's lights and flare up our lanterns in honor of the night of illumination started by our founders 150 years ago. Here's founding family member Tobias Fell with a history lesson."

Evanna and Meredith both zoned out then, instead choosing to gossip amongst themselves, but Alaric and Jeremy listened.

Or... tried their best to.

"What are we doing here?" Jeremy asked.

"Tobias Fell is the head of the history department. I didn't have a choice." Alaric answered.

"All right, that explains what _you're _doing here." Jeremy responded.

Rick rolled his eyes,"Well, I'm the one who can fail you if you don't help me out."

Evanna, up on the ladder, laughed at that and beamed when Elena and Caroline joined them,"There you are!"

"Hey, sorry we're late. What did we miss?"

Anna appeared beside Jeremy and he looked at her, wide-eyed as she said,"Just a bunch of historical lies."

Jeremy smiled at his sister,"You didn't miss anything."

"The first illumination was held in celebration with the new found prosperity that Mystic Falls enjoyed after the war." Tobias was saying, but Anna wasn't buying any of it.

"After the founders stole from all the vampires."

Jeremy laughed at her comment and Meredith frowned,"What's so funny?"

Jeremy shrugged,"Just... remembered something."

Jeremy smiled as Anna kept commentating on the speech. She reached out and joined their hands.

Jeremy looked down, and his smile grew.

* * *

Jeremy went off to meet up with kids from school after a little while, and the girls took a break from hanging lanterns.

Evanna sat on the edge of the ladder, finishing up the braid she was putting in Elena's hair. Alaric had been called away by the historical society.

"So when you did the spell to send Vicki away, did that get rid of Anna, too?" Caroline asked her, making a daisy chain.

"All I did was block the magic that was helping Vicki get a physical foothold here. Jeremy's still got a direct line to the other side, and as long as he wants to see Anna and she wants to see him, she's still here."

"Is that such a bad thing?" Meredith asked,"Anna wasn't so bad."

"It's not Anna we're worried about." Elena explained,"It's whatever else is on the other side."

Damon's 1969 light blue Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible pulled up to the curb beside them and he smiled,"Greetings. Hey, witchy, I think you got your voodoo wires all crossed when you got rid of Vicki Donovan."

Evanna rolled her eyes at the nickname and frowned,"What do you mean, why?"

"Because I'm pretty sure I just got spit-roasted by Mason Lockwood's ghost."

Evanna stepped up to his car,"What?"

Meredith shared a look with the others,"What makes you say that?"

"Maybe because he chained me to a chair and shoved a hot poker in my chest. Let's just say I'm having déjà vu."

Evanna blinked,"Ghosts can't physically interact with people."

"Yeah, well, I don't have time for a vengeful Lockwood. When I kill someone, they're supposed to stay dead. Whatever you screwed up, fix it. Oh, and don't be late for training tonight."

"How'd you know I was training tonight?"

"Who'd you think your new sparring partner is?" A devilish grin broke out on his face,"Bye now."

Evanna turned around after he drove away and took a deep breath, ready to say something

"Are you gonna kill him?" Caroline asked, figuring those were the next words from her mouth.

"No, I'm gonna kill Alaric."

Elena sat down on the seat across from Jeremy in the booth at the Grill.

"Jeremy, can I ask you for something?"

"What?"

"I've been going through Stefan's old journals. Every single time that he's gone off the rails in the past, his best friend Lexi's been the one to bring him back." Elena explained to him.

"So where is she now that we need her?" Alaric asked, sliding back in beside Jeremy.

"She's dead."

Jeremy looked at Elena,"And you want me to try to reach her, don't you?"

"I thought if I knew how she did it, maybe I could help him." Elena told him.

"I don't even know if she's on the other side."

"Is that what it's called?" Elena asked, making Jeremy shrug,"It's what Anna calls it. There's not like an official brochure or anything."

"So what is it, like some sort of supernatural purgatory?" Alaric questioned, trying to form a picture in his mind.

"Well, Anna said it's like being here with all of us, only we can't see her or hear her. And she can't interact with anyone. She's all alone." He glanced sideways subtly when he felt Anna appear beside him.

Alaric took a sip from his glass,"Vicki could interact. She blew up my car."

"Vicki had help from a witch on the other side. Anna...She's doing this all by herself."

Alaric shrugged.

"I'm just saying, maybe we learned our lesson about summoning dead people."

* * *

Evanna, Meredith and Caroline stood in front of Matt as they talked.

"I haven't seen Vicki, I swear. I sent her back like you told me to."

"Are you sure?" Evanna asked,"Because she has just as much reason to haunt Damon as Mason Lockwood does."

"She's gone, Ava. If she was here, I'd know it."

Caroline turned to Evanna,"Why do you think it's Vicki and not Mason?"

"Because if any ghost other than Vicki Donovan has a physical foothold on our side, then that means Damon's right and something has gone really, really wrong."

Matt shook his head,"I've had enough of this ghost stuff to last forever. So you guys can leave me out of this one."

Meredith watched him go, somber,"I feel so bad for him. It took a lot to send his sister away."

"Yeah." Evanna nodded,"Alright, grimoire time."

Evanna took it out and set it on her lap. A gust of wind came out of nowhere and the pages began to flip. The wind stopped suddenly, and the words on the page smacked Evanna in the face (figuratively).

Caroline's mouth fell open,"Did your grimoire just...?"

"Mmhmm."

"Please tell me it's something innocent; like a recipe for witch cookies."

Evanna shook her head at her blonde best friend,"It's a manifestation spell. It's used to reveal veiled matter."

Meredith sat beside her and looked at the page,"What's veiled matter?"

"Ghosts."

* * *

Evanna walked into the grill, her grimoire tucked safely in her bag.

She'd cast the manifestation spell, but nothing had seemed to happen. She saw Jeremy get up and leave the table and then she saw Stefan slide in. Evanna watched Elena tense and walked up.

"You don't have to be here, Stefan." Alaric said, as Evanna joined them.

"You know what, Alaric, you're right. I don't. But Evanna's here, and I look out for Evanna. Besides, there's going to be people everywhere tonight. So there's going to be lots to eat."

All three of them turned to stare at him pointedly and he laughed.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Loosen up."

He left and Elena turned to Alaric.

"I can't let it go, Rick."

"Where'd Jeremy go?" Evanna asked.

Elena answered her, and Evanna nodded, heading off for that direction.

Damon arrived back at the Grill and sat on the chair at the head of the table,"What's up?"

Alaric looked at him,"We've had enough vampires today, thank you."

"Oh, come on. Have a drink with me. We've got trouble."

"What trouble?" Elena asked,"Like what you mentioned earlier trouble?"

Damon nodded as Alaric shook his head,"No, _you've_ got trouble. See, we're not a team. You tried to kill me. All right? We're not friends. I don't like you anymore."

"Ah! But remember back when you liked me and we conspired to kill Uncle werewolf Mason Lockwood?"

"Yeah, and...?"

"Well... I think he's still a little pissed."

* * *

Evanna opened the door to the unisex bathroom in the Grill and gasped.

"Oh, my eyes!"

"Evanna!" Jeremy exclaimed, blushing. His cousin had just walked in on him kissing Anna.

"Wait..." Evanna paused,"How were you two...?"

Anna stepped towards her,"I can touch, and feel."

"Oh... this is bad..."

Jeremy frowned, confused,"Why?"

"It means Damon was right. He's gonna hold this over me forever."

* * *

Damon was still in the midst of convincing Alaric to help them when he spotted someone walk in the door,"Grant?"

The man rushed over to Damon,"Where's my granddaughter?"

Elena got up, equally as shocked as Damon,"Grant? How are you here?"

Alaric stood up too,"Uh, I'm lost."

"Rick, meet Grant Keaton. Evanna's - " Damon cut off, hearing Evanna's voice.

"Grandad?!"

* * *

Evanna paced out in the back parking lot of the Grill.

"Okay, all the ghosts who died violently in Mystic Falls are coming back. _And _they're vengeful. The list of people goes on and on." She stopped and balled up her fists,"This is not good!"

Damon stepped forward,"Breathe, Evanna."

"Right, I need to do that."

"Jeremy," Elena began,"How long have you known Anna could physically interact?"

"A few days maybe. I should have told you, but - "

"No, Jer, it's fine." Evanna shook her head. Her eyes found her grandfather, and she squealed like a little girl, and hugged him tightly, fighting through her emotions to keep herself from breaking down.

Suddenly, she pulled back,"Grams! We need her help. You need to see her. She looks different."

Grant smiled,"I've been watching. She's still as beautiful as ever."

"You two were the only cheesy couple Evanna could stand."

Elena laughed.

"They were 'cute cheesy', not 'oh, my God, I am going to vomit cheesy'."

"Like Stefan and Elena." Damon pointed out, making Evanna laugh.

Alaric looked at the group of people coming up and pushed himself off the wall,"We should probably go somewhere less public."

"Right, um..." Evanna ran a hand through her hair, falling back into serious mode,"Jeremy take Anna home; find Jenna too. She wheeled herself into that little cafe by that goth shop. I'll get Grant to Grams'."

"I'll stay and keep an eye on Stefan." Elena offered and Evanna turned to Damon.

"And Alaric and I will go see Mason Lockwood."

Evanna grimaced,"Just... don't make him angry."

"I killed him once."

"Yeah, and that was before we knew that the whole werewolf bite thing wasn't a myth."

"Good point."

* * *

There were tears - happy tears, and then a guilty explanation of what had happened from a certain granddaughter.

Sheila informed her they needed to close the door and they left Sheila's house.

It was nice for Evanna to see her grandparents holding hands as they headed for the Gilbert house.

They were waiting to see if Mason Lockwood had information until they did the spell to send the ghosts back; which suited Evanna just fine, she had time to spend with her family.

"Princess, how're you holding up?"

Evanna's immediate reaction was to say she was fine, but this was her grandad. The man she told everything to. It was depressing how she'd forgotten that.

"I thought everything was over after I died. Turns out it was only the beginning of much, much worse. I'm scared, grandad. I don't know what to do; Stefan's not himself, Rebekah's running rampant, Klaus will be back any day, Tyler's his new hybrid lap dog and Jeremy's been seeing ghosts since June."

"You know, you don't have to have the answers for everything."

"Yeah, but I like to. Beats nothing knowing anything and going in blind." Her phone began to ring and she looked at the caller ID: Damon.

"Excuse me, grandad."

Sheila walked back into the room as Evanna walked out.

She sat down across from her husband,"Did she talk to you?"

"A little."

"I worry about her. She takes on too much."

"She's always been strong headed. She gets that from you."

Sheila smiled,"So... are you happy on the other side?"

"It's nice. Peaceful. Of course I miss everyone, but it was my time to die that night. I've accepted it, and I'm okay."

"Evanna still doesn't know... the truth about your death."

"Sheila..."

"I know, I should have told her by now, but it was just... it was so hard without you. I didn't know what to do. You were gone, and Monica left..."

"I saw that. Monica's always been flighty; _she _gets that from me."

Sheila laughed, and Grant smiled warmly,"I've missed your laugh. I'm proud of you. I'm proud of Evanna. Make sure she remembers that."

"I will."

Evanna walked back in then,"Damon's meeting Mason at the old Lockwood cellar. Alone. With a shovel."

"Why?" Grant asked.

"Mason says he has valid information on how to stop Klaus. Now, he tortured Damon this morning, but they're 'buddies' again? Seems a little odd."

"Mason wants to help Tyler." Sheila said,"Does Damon think he'll be safe?"

"I asked him the same question and he said 'we'll see' and hung up."

* * *

Out by the Lockwood's Cellar, Damon slipped his phone back in his pocket.

He figured telling Evanna where he'd be would keep her from killing him, and took the shovel from his trunk. He met Mason inside.

"I'm surprised you showed."

"You put a snag in my only other Klaus lead. So I'd say I'm highly motivated."

"Mikael? Yeah. That didn't turn out so great, did it?"

"How do you know so much?"

"There's not much to do on the other side but sit around and watch other people screw things up."

"What are we looking for?" Damon questioned finally.

"There's an old Lockwood family legend about a weapon that can kill an original vampire. Like the rest of their secrets, they kept it buried." Mason took the shovel and tried to break through a wall.

It didn't break.

Damon rolled his eyes,"Oh, come on, give me the thing. Move."

Damon broke through the wall easily, and they peered into the small hole.

"Go for it." Mason nodded into it.

"You first."

"What, you think I'm leading you into a trap?"

"The thought crossed my mind."

* * *

Everyone was doing different things.

Meredith and Caroline were searching for Elena's necklace, Jeremy was with Anna, Alaric and Jenna at the party in town, Damon was with Mason, Elena was with Lexi and Stefan and Evanna was with her grandparents, dreading the idea of letting go of Grant again.

Evanna's phone rang again, and she picked it up.

"Alaric?"

"We have a very big problem."

"What?"

"The tomb vampires are back and they have unfinished business. Tobias Fell is dead and it's causing a spectacle."

"I'm on my way."

Evanna found Jeremy first, standing still in the middle of the pandemonium.

She, Grant and Sheila jogged towards him.

"What happened?!"

"Frederick turned up with two other tomb vampires. Founding families are the target again. I can't find Anna."

"Where's Alaric?"

"He went to find Elena. He should be back soon."

"Okay, let's find Anna."

* * *

"I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Your motives are deceptively pure."

"You talk the talk, but I know you'll do anything for your brother. You won't screw me over as long as we have the same agenda."

Damon frowned,"I'm supposed to believe you're not going to screw me over?"

They stopped and looked down both directions.

Damon pursed his lips,"Which way?"

"I don't know. Flip a coin."

"Aren't you supposed to be all-knowing?"

"I'm a ghost. I'm not God. Go left."

Damon turned down left, but it was a dead end.

Mason shrugged,"Or not... You have trust issues. Anyone ever tell you that?"

Damon kept walking but stopped when stakes entered his body, vervain on them. Mason left as fast as he could.

"Yeah, Mason," Damon wheezed,"I have no reason to have trust issues."

* * *

"Caroline thinks Anna took Elena's necklace." Jeremy admitted suddenly.

Evanna stopped,"Do you think she did?"

"I don't know."

"She was the only person who heard us talking about it. Either way, we have to get it back and destroy it."

"I know, but Evanna... can touch her, Evanna. I can kiss her again. And I know it's wrong, and I know that I shouldn't feel this way, but I do. I love her. I've always loved her."

Grant set a hand on his shoulder,"Jeremy, Anna's dead. She has to go back. There's no other choice. You love her, and she loves you, but that doesn't change the facts. You have to move on, son." Grant looked over at Anna, who'd appeared,"And so do you."

Anna bit her lip and held up Elena's necklace. Evanna stepped forward and took it.

"Thank you."

* * *

Damon looked down at the stakes in his body as he heard someone coming back.

Mason appeared at the entrance with the shovel as Damon groaned,"I'm having a bad day."

"Sorry. Thought you might need this. You're welcome." Mason broke the stakes with the shovel and Damon's knees almost buckled.

He looked at Mason,"What's your game, man? I killed you. I jammed my fist into your chest. I ripped your heart out. There's no way this whole buddy-trust act is real."

"You know what the other side is like? We're all alone. We watch the people we left behind and we regret our decisions. That's it. Look, I can't change what happened to me. But maybe I can change what happens to Tyler. I don't need revenge, Damon. I need redemption."

* * *

Evanna drove towards the witch house and slammed on the breaks when she saw Carol Lockwood's car.

Frederick appeared and smiled at her, realizing she was from a founding family. He began stalking towards the car, but someone lunged at him.

Evanna stared at Caroline with an impressed smile,"Well, hey."

Caroline laughed,"Hi. Go, fix things. I've got this."

Evanna nodded and drove around them, as Grant spoke.

"Caroline sure has changed."

"She's always been tough."

* * *

Damon and Mason headed to another part of the tomb and Damon stopped,"Oh, this is not happening."

"What now?"

"I can't get through. It's like I'm not invited in." Mason shrugged and stepped over the invisible threshold,"Wait!"

"I'm not stopping just 'cause you're stuck. I'll let you know what I find."

"Yeah, but.."

"Looks like you're just gonna have to trust me, Damon."

* * *

Evanna set up the fire as Grams said goodbye to Grant.

Evanna wasn't ready for it, especially as she knew Sheila was crying. But, the fire was set and Evanna had to face it sometime.

She stood and turned,"Guess this is it."

Grant smiled sadly and pulled her into a hug,"It'll be okay, Evanna. Everything will be okay. I promise."

"How can you be so sure?"

"'Cause I know you, and I believe in you. Besides, when have I ever broken a promise?"

Evanna smiled,"Never."

"Exactly. I love you, princess."

"I love you, too."

"Now, go on. Both of you have a job to do."

Sheila took Evanna's hand as they stepped towards the fire. With one last look at Grant, Evanna threw the necklace into the fire.

* * *

All of the ghosts disappeared at once.

Frederick disappeared, Lexi said goodbye, and so did Anna.

Except, the two girls were happy to go by this time.

Lexi trusted that Elena could save Stefan, and Anna had been reunited with her mother. Inside the Lockwood cellar, Mason came back to Damon.

"So? What'd you find?" Damon asked once Mason came back into view.

"It's in -"

Suddenly, Mason wasn't there.

Damon realized Evanna had cast the spell and growled in frustration,"Damn it!"

* * *

Evanna and Sheila looked at the spot where Grant had been standing.

Evanna gave her grandmother a small smile and squeezed her hand.

"Let's go home."

* * *

Alaric swung by the cellar before he went to the Gilbert home.

Damon had called him, asking him to come by, and Alaric figured; why not?

He found Damon sitting in front of the hole.

The blue eyed vampire stood up,"You're here. 'Bout time."

"Didn't have anyone else to call?"

"No, actually, I don't. 'Cause I need a non-vampire to get in the cave, and other than Evanna, you're pretty much the only one I trust."

"Well, you have a crappy way of showing that."

"Look, if Mason Lockwood can get over the fact that I killed him, can't you cut me a little slack, Rick?"

"I shouldn't have to get over it. I was your friend, Damon. You shouldn't have done it in the first place."

"Well, sometimes... I do things I don't have to do."

"You're going to recycle that same crap ass apology you gave Mason Lockwood?"

"Yeah, well... I didn't mean it with him."

"So...? Was Mason screwing with me or is there something in there?"

Alaric flashed the light all over the walls as Damon grew impatient outside.

"Rick? Rick?"

Alaric's light landed on a section of the wall and stared at it, amazed.

"I found something."

"What is it?"

"I have no idea."


	8. Chapter 8

**Vampire Diaries**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

A few days passed and Alaric and Damon finally decided to let Evanna in on the plan.

They had wanted to keep her out of supernatural for at least a little while. She had spent most of the time with her family in Richmond when she wasn't in school, but now she was back.

"So the Lockwoods really have no idea that these tunnels are underneath their property?" Evanna asked as she followed Alaric through the cellar.

She was beginning to think skinny denim jeans, a black tank top with a floral sleeveless vest over it and brown cowboy boots weren't appropriate attire for an expedition.

Alaric nodded,"Careful where you shine that thing. Bats hate the light."

Evanna halted all movements,"Wait, what?"

"Evanna!" A voice whispered behind her and she gasped, flying around to see a smirking Damon.

She hit his arm,"Oh, God, Damon!"

"Scaredy cat."

"Just ignore him." Alaric advised,"That's what I do."

Evanna turned back to Damon,"So, you really can't get in?"

"No. Seems to me like the ancient Lockwoods were anti-vampire."

"What do you mean, ancient?"

"See for yourself."

They walked further inside and Evanna saw what they meant.

Damon stayed a little ways away and sighed,"This is as far as I get to go."

"What is all this?" Evanna asked as her eyes roamed over the cave walls.

"Well, as far as I can tell, it's a story. In simple, archaeological terms, it's a really, really old story. That right there, is the moon cycle. A man, a wolf."

"A werewolf." She stated the obvious with a shrug.

"Yeah, it's the Lockwood diaries. Pictionary style." Damon chimed in.

"I don't understand." Evanna held up a hand,"I thought the Lockwoods came here with the original founders in the 1860s."

"I don't know." Alaric answered,"Maybe the Lockwoods did, but according to this wall, these werewolves have been here a lot longer than that."

"How long?"

"Long. It gets better. Show her, Rick."

Alaric flashed his light on another section of the walls,"Names. They're not native. They're written in Runic, a Viking script."

"Vikings..." Evanna echoed, stepping up to the wall.

She wasn't great at translating Runic, but put your imagination to it and they were obvious.

Alaric pointed to the top one,"That one translates into Niklaus."

"Klaus." Evanna nodded and touched the one under that,"Elijah."

Then, Evanna touched the last one.

"Rebekah."

Evanna dropped her hand and turned around,"These are the names of the original family."

"Carved into a cave that's been here since way before the founding of Mystic Falls. Or even the entire New World for that matter." Alaric elaborated as Evanna craned her neck to look at them again.

"Okay, this has gotta be one of Klaus's fakes."

"That's what I said." Damon sang, leaning against the wall.

"That could be true, except the last name up here made us think otherwise."

"What's the name?" Evanna asked, turning back to Alaric.

"Mikael."

"As in the vampire hunter who knows how to kill Klaus?"

"Yep." Damon nodded,"Or, as I like to call him, 'Papa Original'."

* * *

Alaric spread photos he had taken of the cave drawings on his coffee table as Evanna and Damon squeezed in a spot of training.

"These images tell a story... To learn the story, I have to decipher these images." Alaric sighed.

Damon grabbed Evanna's wrist and disarmed her easily, judging her attempt at staking him,"Sloppy."

Evanna took the stake back,"You're just lucky I'm not allowed use my powers."

Damon rolled his eyes, dodging another attack easily as he turned his attention back to Alaric,"_Ghost of Christmas Past_ Mason Lockwood set up the cave and lead us to a weapon that can kill Klaus."

"Yeah, but doesn't Mikael have a weapon?" Evanna questioned, throwing another punch.

"Yes. Which probably means the wall will lead us to Mikael, who we have already found and lost." Damon caught her again, turning her so her back was to him and pulled her flush against his chest.

His hands gripped her hips to keep her from moving as he spoke into her ear,"Bang! You're dead."

He nuzzled his face into her neck and made a playful growl noise. Evanna rolled her eyes and pushed him off her, running her hands through her hair. She walked up beside Alaric and looked at the pictures.

Alaric glanced at her sideways,"These images at the very least might tell us what that weapon is."

"Then all we have to do is find out what they mean."

Damon came up and stood partly behind her,"Fine! Fine! If I am being irritatingly optimistic like you two. How do we supposed to do that?"

"Well, if the story is about the original family living here... then we go straight to the source."

* * *

Elena didn't show up to school, instead choosing to stay with Stefan in his detox.

Caroline was watching over Tyler and Matt, Meredith and Jeremy were indulging in some post-supernatural crisis normal school days.

Evanna walked towards the football field, closing her jacket around herself. It was a cold September morning, and Evanna was on a mission.

"Hey, Ava." Caroline greeted with a smile,"What brings you here?"

Evanna nodded at Rebekah,"A mission."

Caroline nodded and patted Evanna's back,"Good luck with that."

Evanna headed towards the group Rebekah had immersed herself in,"Rebekah?"

"You! Goody." Rebekah replied sarcastically.

"I was hoping we could talk."

"About what? Stefan? Don't worry - I'm off him until he starts treating me better. Actually, you should tell your cousin to take a page out of my book."

"Actually I'd rather talk about why your name is inscribed on the wall of the old Lockwood cellar." Evanna shrugged, choosing to be blunt,"I'm curious why you and Klaus have spent a thousand years running from your father."

Rebekah shifted awkwardly,"I should get back to the girls. Homecoming's right around the corner."

Evanna watched her walk away and called out,"Alright, I'll just ask Mikael when we wake him."

"You're bluffing!" Rebekah rushed back towards her at a human face,"You don't know where he is. No one does."

"So then who's rotting in that old cemetery in Charlotte?"

"If you wake Mikael we are all doomed!"

"So then tell me."

"Why do you wanna know?"

"Why don't you want me to wake him?" Evanna countered.

Rebekah took a deep breath and pursed her lips,"I need to get back to the girls."

* * *

Evanna left school at lunch and headed to Alaric's apartment.

She had an hour before she had to be back.

Damon had called her in the car, and she carried on the conversation as she walked up the stairs,"She's going to tell me. She is scared of him, Damon. I saw her face. I just have to engage in a little mean girl power struggle first."

"Make sure she doesn't power struggle you into a wheelchair."

"I've got this, Damon. If we can figure out a way to kill Klaus, Stefan will be free of his compulsion. So, how does he look?"

Damon had joined Elena to see how the detox was coming along.

Damon cocked his head at his brother,"Pasty and pouty so ... almost back to normal."

Evanna entered Alaric's apartment and sighed,"He'll have to get over it. How's Elena?"

"Slowly growing a thicker skin..."

Evanna bit the inside of her lip,"Call me later."

She looked at Alaric after she hung up,"Rebekah will come around."

"You're sure about that? I mean a thousand year old vampire, I'm sure, is not in the art of patience."

Evanna's phone buzzed and she opened the text.

_Come over for a chat. - Rebekah._

Evanna showed him the phone,"She's a thousand years old but she joined the cheer leading squad... there's a whole other set of rules here, Rick."

* * *

Damon walked into Stefan's cell and looked him over.

He had successfully convinced Elena to go to school and not the miss the second half of the day.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"

"You know, if you two are gonna keep me locked in here for the next decade. I think we can skip the routine visits."

"You know I'm not a big champion in this whole Lexi-recovery-plan. When Elena thinks this place is gonna weaken you out, break you down and make you feel again..."

"We should all listen to Elena, right? I mean her plans always work out so well, don't they? Why are you here?"

"What are you talking about? It's family day at vampire rehab."

"Go away."

"Nah, thought we could hang out, old brother bonding. How've you been Stef?"

"You know, Klaus may wanna keep Evanna alive, but that doesn't mean she's safe with Rebekah."

"Liar, liar pants on fire, brother. Klaus compelled you to protect Evanna and if you thought for even a second that she was in danger you'd be working a lot harder to get out."

"Got me."

"Yep."

"You got me. You're good. Congratulations. You can go now."

"You really have given up."

"Actually, this is my happy face."

Damon thought over his next idea. If something went wrong, he'd be killed. But... if something went right, then it wouldn't matter. He'd always taken chances.

Stefan watched his brother undo his chains and frowned,"What are you doing?"

"Screw this Lexi-plan. Think we could both use a drink."

* * *

As soon as Evanna walked into the Salvatore house, Rebekah handed her a glass of champagne and sipped her own.

"Hey! What's up?" The blonde vampire greeted her, seeming a lot like Caroline.

It was weird. It made Evanna suspicious.

"You invited me over? To talk?"

Rebekah turned around,"All right, girls! Have at it."

Eight girls came walking out in a range of different homecoming dresses.

"You compelled your own private runway show?"

"I need a Homecoming dress. So, what do you think? Pick one."

"I'm not here to help you shop. I'm here to talk about why you don't want me to wake up Mikael."

Rebekah rushed over to the first girl and tilted her neck, vamping out,"Pick one."

"The... third one!"

"There. It wasn't so hard, was it?" She compelled the girls to leave and turned around,"You do not threaten me. You'll learn what I allow you to learn. Is that clear?"

Evanna nodded and followed Rebekah to the living room.

* * *

Someone knocked on Alaric's door and he opened it to see Elena,"Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Shouldn't you?"

"Good point. Come in."

"I brought the necklace that wouldn't die." She said, showing him her necklace.

Evanna had been shocked to see it on the kitchen counter after she'd seen it explode into thousands of pieces and Elena had been right there with her.

"Ah-ah. So, how's Stefan?"

"Sometimes I think he's coming around, but then he says something that contradicts that. Lexi warned me he'd do that though, so maybe it's a good sign."

"And how are you?"

Elena shrugged,"Been better. Did you find anything?"

"So, I've been staring at this image all day, wondering why it looked so familiar. I was right." Alaric nodded, showing her the picture of the design.

"It's the same design." Elena noticed, setting the necklace beside it.

"So, Sheila said this necklace belonged to the Original Witch that knew Klaus, right? Well, this symbol is repeated all across the wall. I've been trying to figure out what it meant. And now I know..."

Alaric showed her another symbol and Elena read the post-it note stuck to the corner.

Witch.

* * *

Rebekah threw open the door to Stefan's bedroom and begun snooping.

"This is fun."

"We shouldn't be here." Evanna said, leaning against the door.

"'Course we should! Come on, like you've never wanted to snoop. Boxer briefs. A lot has changed from the twenties."

"Are you gonna root through his stuff all night or are you gonna start to tell me your story?"

"Ah... you really are no fun. What do you want to know?"

"Well, Elijah said that your father was a landowner in Europe. How did you guys end up here?"

"My parents had just started a family, when a plague struck their homeland. They lost a child to it. They wanted to escape and protect their future family from the same fate."

"So, how did you end up here? This part of the world hadn't even been discovered yet."

"Not by anyone in _your _history books. But my mother knew the witch Ayanna, who heard from the spirits of a mystical land where everyone was healthy. Blessed by the gifts of speed and strength; that lead my family here, where we lived amongst those people."

"The werewolves?"

"To us they were just our neighbors. My family lived in peace with them for over 20 years, during which time my family had more children, including me."

"You make it sound so normal."

"It was."

"Once a month our family retreated into the caves beneath our village. The wolves would howl through the night and by morning we'd return home..." Rebekah explained,"One full moon, Klaus and my youngest brother Henrik snuck out to watch the men turn into beasts. That was forbidden. Henrik payed the price... And that was the beginning of the end of peace with our neighbors... And one of the last moments my family had together as humans."

Evanna's phone began to ring and Rebekah nodded,"You better get that. It'll be Damon, calling to check up on you."

Evanna pulled out her phone and slid the unlock key across the screen,"Hello?"

"Hey!"

Evanna frowned at the background music,"Where are you?"

"No idea, but I'm pretty sure, I'm overdressed...Still standing?"

"Yes, I'm fine, but I can't talk right now."

"I'll be at the bar." She heard Stefan say and frowned.

"Was that Stefan?"

"Yeah, I kinda went off a bit. Don't worry - I know what I'm doing."

"Damon! How could you let him out?"

"I got this, Evanna." He quoted, and hung up.

Evanna turned back to Rebekah and slipped her phone in her pocket. The blonde was now laying stomach-down on Stefan's bed, thumbing through one of his journals.

Evanna rolled her eyes,"Did you get your fill of snooping yet? Can we get on with the story?"

Rebekah closed the diary, got off Stefan's bed and picked up a picture of him and Elena,"Honestly, I don't get those two as a couple."

"Why would you? You don't know anything about who he really is."

"I know exactly who he is. He's a vampire. We're a predatory species. We don't have time to care about humans and their silly little lives."

Evanna nodded,"Right, and that's why you _had _to pick out a homecoming dress. It's not like you care about it, right?" Evanna inhaled deeply,"You know what, I'm gonna go."

"You haven't even heard half the story."

Evanna turned back around,"And you're not gonna tell it. You're just bored and looking for someone to push around. Find someone else to play with, Rebekah. Maybe you could compel a friend for yourself."

"The necklace wasn't Stefan's to give. It belonged to the original witch." Rebekah called as Evanna turned to leave again.

"The original witch...?"

"Yes, the one who turned us into vampires."

Rebekah walked passed her. Evanna followed.

* * *

"I'm thirsty." Rebekah announced,"Do you want a drink?"

Evanna didn't answer as she sorted out her thoughts,"So, vampirism was a form of protection?"

"What else would it be?"

"Oh, gee, I don't know; a _curse_?"

"My parents only saw a way of keeping their children alive."

"Yeah, but why stay if they were so afraid of the werewolves? Why not... leave?"

"Pride... My father didn't want to run anymore. He wanted to fight and be superior to the wolves. Where they could bite we had to bite harder. Where they had speed we had to be faster. Agility, strength, senses..."

"In your mother's hands?" Evanna repeated as Rebekah finished another chapter of the long, _long _story,"How could she do anything?"

"Because my mother was also a witch."

"What?"

"The witch of the original family. The original witch."

They entered the library and Rebekah went looking for alcohol,"Where do they keep their best vintage?"

Evanna nodded to the place and opened her mouth,"But if your mother was a witch, then..."

"Am I? No, a witch is nature's servant, a vampire is an abomination of nature. You can either be one or the other, never both. My mother did this for us. She did not turn."

"How _did _you turn?"

"She called upon the sun for life and the ancient white oak tree, one of nature's eternal objects, for immortality. That night my father offered us wine laced with blood. And then he drove his sword through our hearts."

"He killed you?" Evanna asked, astonished.

How could a parent kill their children? It was one of the evils she couldn't understand.

"And he wasn't delicate about it either."

Rebekah sat down.

"We had to drink more blood to complete the ritual." She continued, sipping from her wine glass," It was euphoric! The feeling of power was indescribable. But the witch Ayanna was right about the consequences. The spirits turned on us and nature fought back... For every strength there would be a weakness...The sun became our enemy. It kept us indoors for weeks. Until, my mother found a solution. There were other problems. Neighbors who had opened their homes to us could now keep us out. Flowers at the base of the white oak burned and prevented compulsion. And the spell decreed that the tree that gave us life could also take it away. So we burned it to the ground. But, the darkest consequence was something my parents never anticipated - the hunger. Blood... had made us reborn and it was blood that we craved above all else. We could not control it... And with that the predatory species was born..."

* * *

"Alright," Stefan came up beside his brother at the bar,"Tell me what's up. What's the point of the jailbreak, hm?"

"I thought you could use a hug, Stefan."

"Come on, Damon. Elena's gonna hate you for letting me out, and Evanna's certainly not going to be happy with you; we both know you'll care about that."

"Maybe I wanted to remind you what freedom was like before Klaus took it from you."

"As long as Klaus is alive, I do what he says."

"That's my point, Stefan. You've given up. Now you could sit around and be his little bitch. Or you get mad enough and you can do something about it."

"Damon, he can't be killed."

"Maybe I could help with that." A man said, arriving before them,"The Salvatore boys, I presume?"

Stefan stared at him; half shocked, half impressed.

"Mikael."

* * *

"Why did Mikael start hunting Klaus?"

Rebekah shrugged,"When Nik made his first human kill, it triggered his werewolf gene. With that he became my father's greatest shame."

"Yeah - Elijah told me this part of the story. Your mother had had an affair with one of the werewolf villagers. Klaus wasn't his son."

"She tried to make it right. She put the hybrid curse on Nik to suppress his werewolf side and then she turned her back on him. But Mikael's greatest weakness as a human was his pride. As a vampire that was magnified. He went on a rampage and killed half the village. Then he came home and killed her."

"Mikael killed your mother?"

"He said she broke his heart so he would break hers. He tore it from her chest as Nik watched."

* * *

"Always and forever..." Evanna echoed after Rebekah told her of the pact made between her and her two brothers,"Even though he locked you in a coffin for 90 years?"

"We're vampires. Our emotions are heightened. I'm stubborn, Elijah moral, and Nik... Nik has no tolerance for those who disappoint him. Over a thousand years as a family we've all made that mistake at least once. I've made it several times."

"But you still love him."

"He's my brother. And I'm immortal. Should I spend an eternity alone instead? You've heard the story, it's time to go. I said leave, Evanna! I don't know what you're up to but I'm no longer playing along."

"I'm just looking for one good reason why we shouldn't wake Mikael."

"And I've given you a thousand! But you will anyway. I know you want him to help you kill my brother, I'm not stupid."

"It's no secret that I want Klaus dead. He's got a hold over all of our lives."

"Do what you need. Wake Mikael at your own peril. But make no mistake, if you come after my brother, I will rip you apart. And I get my temper from my father. Now leave!"

* * *

"Is Klaus out of the country?" Mikael asked, continuing his interrogation of Stefan.

"Can't tell you."

"Has he spoken to you since he left?"

"I can't tell you."

"All right. Can you tell me the last time you spoke to Niklaus?"

"I'm compelled to do what he says and he says to keep my damn mouth shut."

Damon sighed. Rolling his eyes, he turned around to look at Mikael,"I really hope this game of 20 questions isn't your secret weapon."

"You see, Damon," Mikael began, putting a hand on his shoulder,"I've been a vampire hunter longer than you've been alive. It's why I found you here. It's why I'm gonna find Niklaus."

"Well, Klaus has been running for about thousand years, so if you think you can get a work around here -"

Mikael slammed his other fist into Damon's chest, and grabbed his heart. Damon could no longer breathe, but he was still alive. Stefan darted forward.

"Careful, Stefan. One move - and his heart's gone. Now, where is Klaus? What's the trick question, Stefan? One twist and he's dead. Unless you don't care of course."

"His emotions have been shut off. He can't care." Damon wheezed out, beginning to choke.

"Really? His link to Klaus is so strong that he will let his own brother die? No ideas, hmm? Think, Stefan! I guess you're right. He's a dead end. And so are you, Damon."

"Wait! I can bring him back. I can lure Klaus back to Mystic Falls." Stefan revealed.

A triumphant grin spread across Mikael's face.

He pulled his hand out of Damon's chest and began wiping the blood of his hand with a napkin,"And there is our loophole. Just had to rile him up a bit. Get Klaus back to Mystic Falls and I will gladly drive a stake through his heart. Fail, and I'll drive it through yours."

* * *

Meredith tilted her head at the drawings on the cave wall, feeling bad for Alaric as he had to figure them out.

She and Elena had swung by after school and met Alaric inside. Evanna had texted, saying she was on her way, and sure enough, she climbed through to join them.

"Hey guys." She greeted,"What'cha got?"

"We filled in what we could." Alaric answered, sticking post it notes on the symbols,"A vampire, werewolf, slaughter, mayhem etc."

"Sounds like a party." Evanna commented jokingly, crossing her arms.

She spotted a carving of a tree and recognized it instantly,"That's the white oak tree that was used in the spell to create the vampires, which means that was when they burned down the tree, destroying the only way that they could be killed."

"Ok. so tree equals weapon, sort of. We already knew that. What we are not sure about is this: we've got the witch symbol and what looks like a bleeding heart." Meredith piped in as Alaric pursed his lips,"Upside down figures usually signified death, of some kind."

"Mikael killed the witch by ripping out her heart." Evanna remembered,"But... why is that one connected to the witch's death?"

Elena shrugged in response to her cousin,"We haven't gotten that far yet."

"Oh, my God." Evanna whispered as the realization dawned on her,"Rebekah doesn't know the real story."

* * *

Rebekah was pouring herself a glass of scotch when Evanna waltzed in, holding the pictures of the cave drawings.

"I thought I told you to leave. Twice."

"How do you know that Mikael killed your mother?"

"Nik was there. He told me."

"He lied to you."

"And how do you know that?"

Evanna showed Rebekah the pictures,"The cave where you carved your family's names is covered in symbols. The story of your family: how your parents arrived, how they made peace, the spell that turned them into vampires, and this. This is the symbol for hybrid. It's a combination of the werewolf and the vampire symbol. And this is the one for your mother."

"Her necklace..."

"And this is the story of her death. The hybrid killed the original witch. Not Mikael. Klaus."

"No! No, he wouldn't."

"She put the curse on him. Made it so that he would be the only one of his kind. And then she rejected him. With the werewolf gene comes aggression and violence. When he turned, all of that was heightened. He killed her, Rebekah. And then he made up this entire lie about your father, so that he wouldn't lose you."

"These mean nothing!" Rebekah exclaimed emotionally, taking the pictures and throwing them into the open fire,"They're just stupid drawings, done by stupid people who had no idea who my family was!"

"Then why are you so upset?" Evanna asked softly, but firmly.

"Why are you doing this to me? I've done nothing to you!"

"Klaus killed your mother. He has a hold on you, on me, on everyone. He has for a thousand years. We have to make it stop!"

"Shut up! Shut up! Don't talk anymore!" Rebekah lunged for her, but Evanna held out her hand and sent her flying back.

"Rebekah, you need to know to truth."

Rebekah looked up at her from her spot on the floor and burst into tears.

* * *

At the bar, Damon and Stefan were walking back to the car.

"I'll give you 10 points for flair." Damon told his brother.

"At least, now we know where Klaus and Elijah learned their tricks from."

"Don't think you had to wait till the last second to have your breakthrough, though."

"I didn't have a breakthrough, Damon."

"Uh-huh - my brother is about to die and I just had to save his life for the gazillionth time. Careful Stefan, your humanity is showing."

"So you know what? You're right, Damon. You're right. You reminded me what my freedom felt like. And when we kill Klaus, I'll be free. Free to leave. See, I didn't do this for you, Damon. I did it for myself."

"Sure, Stefan, whatever you say..."

"Why are you doing this, huh? What do you want from me? Why is everybody trying to save me?"

"Because I have to, Stefan! Because you are in this mess with Klaus, because you saved my life. Because I owe you. And I can't just leave you in a cell to rot."

"Aw, better be careful, brother. Your humanity is showing."

Damon rolled his eyes and, in a typical brother move, he socked him in the stomach, and then kicked him to the ground before getting into the car.

* * *

Evanna walked into her house at nine.

She'd comforted Rebekah, but then Rebekah had asked for some time alone. Evanna was tired, and couldn't wait to crawl into bed.

"Who's home?" Jeremy called from the kitchen.

"Me." Evanna smiled, walking in,"Is nobody else home?"

"Alaric and Elena are dropping Meredith home first."

"Ah, ah. How was your day?"

"Hm... I went to the grocery store. It's sad that that was the exciting part of my day. You?"

"Ah, you know. School, homework, finding out crazy facts about the past, and the supernatural beings that inhabited it... the usual."

"Alaric said you guys had stumbled into something pretty cool."

"He only thinks it's cool 'cause he's a history nerd." Evanna giggled,"We just... found out more about the original family. Let me just tell you, I thought our family had issues."

"What happened to their family?"

"Short version; their mother turned them into vampires to protect them, Klaus fooled his siblings into believing that their father killed their mother when really it was him and, oh yeah, plot twist; Mikael's their father!"

"The vampire hunter?"

"Same one."

"Wow..." Jeremy said dryly,"That whole family needs a shrink."

* * *

Evanna took off her makeup and straightened her hair for the next day (she was bored) before walking into her bedroom.

It was already ten, and she was pretty much dead on her feet. She had, after all, woken up at five A.M.

"Uh - Damon! Seriously?" She asked when she saw him sprawled out on her bed, his arms behind his head.

"We got Mikael."

"What? How?" Evanna asked, walking over to the side of her bed.

"No idea. I guess Katherine came through. Plan's in motion. See, I told you I had it. Go ahead. Kick, yell, scream. I'm sure you've been planning your rant all day."

Evanna shook her head,"I'm not gonna rant at you."

"Why not? I went behind your back. Freed Stefan. And you know what: it backfired. He's an even bigger dick than ever. Just now he's a dick that's on our side."

"Yeah, I said _I _wasn't gonna rant at you. I'd stay away from Elena for a couple days, if I were you."

"You're really not mad?"

"I'm not mad. I'm tired. I just - I want to go to bed." That was supposed to be a hint to him, but seeing as she tugged on the covers and he still didn't move, she sighed and gave up, climbing in bed beside him.

"You know, I think Mikael's weapon is a stake, 'cause he mentioned something about it." Damon told her as she climbed in beside him.

"Well, they must have carved it from the white oak tree before they burned it down."

"So I was right. After all that, the wall led us to Mikael."

"Lead us to more than just that. I think I got Rebekah on our side, too."

"Really? What 'd you learn from her?"

"I learned, that she's just a girl. That she lost her mom too young and she loves blindly and recklessly, even if it consumes her. And when it's all said and done there's nothing more important than the bond of family." She said, glancing away from her ceiling to look at him. Brown met blue as he turned on his side to look at her, too.

"Well, you should tell that to my brother."

Evanna smiled and copied his position, turning on her side,"I'm not mad at you for letting him out, Damon, 'cause I think that you're gonna be the one to save him from himself. It won't be because he loves Elena, it'll be because he loves _you_. Can I tell you the rest tomorrow?"

Damon nodded, and whispered,"Sure."

Evanna turned and switched off the lamp, plunging the room into darkness. She could still see his blue eyes and it comforted her as she closed her own. Damon smiled at her, even though she couldn't see, and settled down beside her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Vampire Diaries**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Waking up beside Damon made her insides flutter the next morning.

She held her stomach to try quell them as she watched him sleep for a second or two, and finally decided to get up.

Damon threw an arm around her stomach and pulled her back,"No, I want my teddy."

Evanna laughed,"I have to go to school, Damon."

He peeked out through his eyes,"School's for losers."

Evanna rolled her eyes, and leaned against the headboard. She had a few minutes, she supposed. Damon was absentmindedly rubbing small circles on her stomach, and it was sending her heart into overdrive.

"We're gonna need a plan to lure Klaus back here." Evanna said, stifling a yawn behind her hand.

"We'll figure something out."

Evanna glanced at her clock again,"We're gonna have to move sometime."

"Fine!" Damon said, grabbing her brown teddy bear,"I'll just replace you with Teddy. Real original name, by the way."

"I got him when I was two, Damon. I wasn't exactly going to name him _Shakespeare_."

* * *

They joined up with Elena, Stefan, Alaric and Meredith at the boarding house to formulate a plan.

"Hm, let's say that Mikael followed Evanna to our place. He tried to grab her, so he could use her as bait."

"And you what? Vervained him?" Meredith questioned, making Damon scoff.

"No! _We_ vervained him! This guy is an original. We have to make it realistic."

"Okay, fine." Stefan shrugged,"We vervained him, and in the process discovered that he had a dagger."

"Which he planned to use on Rebekah, but instead..." Elena added from beside Stefan.

"We drove it through his heart." Stefan finished.

"That's great," Evanna chirped from the couch,"But what do we do when he asks to see Mikael's body?"

"Good point!" Damon commented,"You, my brother, have been compelled to do what Klaus says. So the idea is to lure him back here and kill him - last thing we need is you getting tripped up and tongue-tied."

"Well, don't look at me I am just in charge of getting him back here."

"Klaus is smart," Alaric said,"If we tell him that Mikael is dead, he'll want proof."

"Then I'll be dead."

Eyes flew to the doorway where Mikael was walking in.

"What if he wants to see you in person?" Elena questioned.

"Well that means our plan is working. Klaus will absolutely want to see my body. You lure him here - and I will kill him."

"With what?" Stefan asked,"Those daggers won't work on him."

"Well, I'm in possession of a stake fashioned from the wood of the ancient white oak tree. The one that left these ashes when it burned."

Stefan stood up,"Where is it?"

"Not here. The knowing of its location is my insurance policy."

Alaric frowned,"Against what?"

"You leaving the dagger in my heart. You see, a vampire can't dagger an original without dying. Klaus won't kill Evanna, so, to ensure Elena, Meredith and Alaric's safety, it falls to you." Mikael said to Evanna and handed her the dagger.

"Y - You want me to actually dagger you?"

"Klaus will leave nothing to chance - especially when it comes to trust."

* * *

That's what led Stefan to calling Klaus's phone.

"Portland is fantastic." Came Klaus's voice from the other line,"Once you get over all the whiny music and healthy looking people it is literally a breeding ground for werewolves."

"Your father is dead."

"What did you say to me?"

"Oh, my mistake. Not _your_ actual father and not dead. Mikael. Daggered. What do you want me to do with the body?"

"Well, first I want you to explain what exactly happened."

Stefan fed Klaus everything he'd seen in the moment Mikael was daggered, glad they'd figured out the loophole.

"I wanna see him. I want to see his rotting body for myself."

"Well, he is here. Come by whenever."

"If you are lying to me Stefan, your compulsion will expose you. So, answer with your life: Is what you are saying the truth?"

Stefan beamed to himself,"It's true. I saw it with my own eyes."

"I wanna talk to Rebekah."

"That's not a problem. She is right here."

Rebekah took the phone,"Hello, Nik."

"Rebekah, love. What's this I hear about Mikael's tragic run in with the dagger?"

"It's true. He's finally out of our lives for good. I miss you. I'm miserable here."

"I'll be home soon."

"Good. I'll see you then, brother." Rebekah hung up and handed Stefan his phone back,"He bought it. He´s coming home."

"Was that easy or what?" Damon asked rhetorically as Evanna stepped over to Mikael's body,"Let's just get this over with."

Evanna reached down and pulled the dagger from Mikael's heart.

Rebekah sat down and pulled out her nail polish. She had to something while she waited.

* * *

Rebekah was already done her nails by the time Mikael's eyes snapped open and he coughed.

"Finally. Took you long enough."

"Rebekah."

"Whatever fatherly rubbish you're thinking - save it. Nothing you say matters to me."

"I see. Where is my dagger?"

"Evanna has it; so you can forget your plans to use it on me."

"You were never what I was after."

"Nik was my family. If you were after him, you were after me."

"He blinded you, Rebekah. He killed your mother!"

"I know what he did, and he´ll pay for it with his life. But Nik was not born a killer - none of us were! You did this to us when you turned us into vampires! You destroyed our family. Not him."

"Rebekah..."

Rebekah stood up and walked out.

* * *

Evanna sat on Elena's bed, flicking through her grimoire with Meredith as Elena went through her closet.

"I hate everything in my closet. I have nothing to wear to Homecoming." Elena pouted.

"So, don't go. Let's stay home, order takeout and over analyze ancient hieroglyphic thingies with Rick." Evanna shrugged.

"We have to go." Meredith groaned, laying back,"Caroline will kill us if we don't."

Evanna pursed her lips, trying to find a bright side,"Well, it would be a break from everything."

"Yeah, but Caroline has a date..." Elena sighed,"I don't think I've ever gone to something like this without a date."

Meredith snorted,"Oh! You'll have to have a girl's night out instead! The horror!"

Elena walked over and poked Meredith's stomach with a laugh. Meredith curled in and held her stomach, laughing herself.

Evanna rolled her eyes at her friends, hiding a grin,"You two are such children."

"Why don't you have a date?" Elena teased as Evanna smirked.

"The reason is obvious; boys have cooties."

Meredith and Elena shared a laugh as Meredith nudged Evanna,"Bring Damon."

"Not funny."

"What is going with you two?" Elena asked, sitting down.

"Nothing. He just... slept over last night."

"Damon was here last night?" Elena asked, confused,"I didn't hear him."

"He's a vampire; they're stealthy."

"Nothing happened, right?" Meredith asked narrowing her eyes.

"Meredith!" Evanna exclaimed,"God, no!"

Meredith's hand flew to her heart,"Oh, thank God."

Elena laughed,"Alright, Evanna's says nothing's going on, so nothing's going on."

"Thank you. Don't tell Caroline about this."

"Of course not." Meredith nudged her again,"She'd have a field day."

* * *

Once they'd picked out their outfits for homecoming, Evanna and Elena headed back to the Salvatore house and Meredith went to Caroline's.

Evanna had her dress hanging up on Damon's wardrobe and she and Damon were preparing vervain-based weapons in the bathroom.

"We can't trust Rebekah not to turn on us." Evanna told him.

"Oh really? Cause these Original vampires are usually so reliable."

"I mean, Rebekah may be mad at him now, but he's her brother. If Noel and I were in that position, I wouldn't be able to do it."

"Yes, but your brother isn't a lying, mama - killing, dagger - happy guy. He's a twenty-year-old college going guy who likes playing video games." Damon pointed out and held up a jar,"Wolvesbane is ready."

"There are too many things that can go wrong with this plan. Too many people that can make it go wrong."

"Well, I _am_ formulating a secret contingency plan."

"Really? What is it?"

"Well, if I told you, then it wouldn't be a secret."

Stefan appeared at the doorway,"I need to borrow a tie."

"You have your own ties."

"Hm, I'm 162 years old and I'm going to a Homecoming Dance. I need better ties."

Evanna shrugged and feigned a sweet smile,"You could not go. I like that idea."

"I'm compelled to protect you. And if I look at your track record at high school dances - it's pretty tragic. With my luck you'll go and get yourself murdered by the Homecoming Queen..."

Evanna pulled a face at him and Stefan rolled his eyes, moving back into the bedroom where began rummaging through Damon's drawers. Evanna also rolled her eyes, picking up a vervain bomb.

An alarmed sound escaped Damon's lips and he swatted her hand away, taking it from her,"Ah-ah! No!"

"I know how to do it! Alaric taught me!"

"Evanna! If this thing blows up in our faces, just remember only one of us heals quickly."

Stefan's head appeared at the doorway again,"Please tell me that you have a better plan than wolvesbane grenades?"

"Never your mind, brother. The less you know the better."

"My freedom from Klaus rests entirely upon you two executing your plan perfectly. So, excuse me if I'm a bit cynical."

"You're the one that we should be worried about. If Klaus asks you one wrong question, boom, whole thing falls apart." Evanna remarked.

"You do have reason to worry, but if I look back in our history of epic plan failures, it's usually because _one of us_ let our humanity get in the way. Upon taking odds on how this thing goes down, it's certainly not gonna be me who screws it up. I'll see you at Homecoming. I can't wait."

* * *

Evanna entered the room Rebekah was changing in, and saw her surveying the dress Evanna had picked out the day before.

"Pretty."

Rebekah turned around,"Oh, thank you. You really think this is suitable for a homecoming dance?"

"You've never been to one before?"

"Embarrassing truth? This is my first dance."

"Ever?" Evanna asked, walking over.

Rebekah nodded,"I never really had time for high school before. Nik and I were always moving around, running. Anyway, I didn't want to leave anything to chance. Have you heard any more from him?"

"No. But I'm sure that when he does return he'll do it with flair."

"And Damon and my father are all set with their plan?"

"Yup."

"Don't tell me. I don't want to know, I just - I want to go to the dance and leave the rest to Mikael."

"I know it's really hard. So thank you for helping us get Klaus back into town." Evanna said sincerely.

"Just be careful. I've been running for a thousand years for a reason. Mikael is not a good person and he definitely can't be trusted. No one in my family can."

Evanna noticed the tears in Rebekah's blue eyes,"Are you okay?"

"I've spent my whole life loving and hating my brother with equal measure. I never thought that I'd be the one to help drive a stake through his heart. No tears - I don't want to ruin my makeup." Rebekah took a deep breath and turned to look in the mirror,"Okay, be truthful. How do I look?"

"You look amazing. But you're missing one thing; Elena wanted to give this to you." Evanna said, holding up Elena's necklace.

"My mother's necklace."

"You should wear it tonight. May I?"

Rebekah nodded, and pulled her blonde locks to one side. Evanna fastened the necklace around her neck, and Rebekah reached up to touch it.

"Thank you."

Evanna nodded, trying to stop the feeling of guilt that was welling up in her. Evanna slipped the dagger from her pocket and plunged it into Rebekah's back, through to her heart.

"I'm so sorry. I can't leave anything to chance either."

* * *

"In the back! Harsh!" Damon commented as Evanna sat cross-legged on his bed and he covered Rebekah's body with a blanket.

"It had to be done. Rebekah was never gonna be completely on our side." Evanna breathed out, trying to convince herself it had been the right thing to do.

"Hey, I'm not judging you. You sure you're not related to Katherine, too?"

Evanna slugged his arm,"Way to make a girl feel better about herself."

"It was a compliment. Sort of..."

Evanna groaned, flopping down face first on Damon's bed as Damon sat down on the edge.

"Stefan was right." Evanna pouted,"Someone's gonna let their humanity get in the way and screw this whole thing up and it's probably gonna be me."

"Evanna, you just daggered somebody in the back. You'll be fine."

She sat up again,"Yeah, but I feel bad about it. I care too much, that's the problem, Damon. I'm the weak link."

"If it makes you feel any better, she's not really dead."

Evanna took a deep breath,"Do you trust him? Mikael?"

"Nope."

"What about Stefan?"

"No. Not as long as he is under Klaus's control."

"Then we need a better plan."

"I know what to do. You're just not gonna like it."

"Why not?"

"Because when this all goes down, I don't want you having any part of it."

"What does that mean?"

"Do you trust me?" He asked suddenly, his piercing blue eyes trying to find an answer on their own.

"Yes." Evanna answered without hesitation, surprising herself. A genuine smile broke out on Damon's face.

"Then you have nothing to worry about."

Elena came into the room then and stared at the blanket at the ground,"Who's under that?"

"Rebekah." Damon answered.

"Why?"

"Evanna had to dagger her; she's an unstable liability."

"Uh... okay. Evanna, Caroline called. The gym is flooded, dance is cancelled -"

Evanna perked up excitedly,"Does that mean we don't have to go?"

"Afraid not. Tyler's moving the party to his house."

Evanna's shoulders sagged,"You had one job, Tyler! Kegs and beer pong for Homecoming? That's... different."

"There's something else... about Matt's date?"

"What about her?"

"You daggered her."

Damon snorted as Evanna's eyes flew to the blanket in horror,"I killed Matt's date."

Elena nodded with a slight grimace,"You should probably call him."

"Good idea."

* * *

"Hey, Mattie!" Evanna exclaimed down the phone as Elena did her hair for homecoming.

"What's up?"

"Slight mishap with your date."

"What do you mean?"

"I kinda daggered her. How would you feel about another, back-up vampire date?"

* * *

Meredith and Caroline looked around the party, astonished.

"How did he plan a better party than me so fast? What? Is that a band outside?"

Meredith frowned,"Who are all these people?"

Caroline huffed,"This is weird! Where is Tyler?"

* * *

Tyler met up with Stefan,"Hey Stefan! What's up?"

"Hey Tyler. Nice party you've got going on."

"Thanks, but I'm not the one throwing it. I'm just doing what Klaus wants."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not a party, man. It's a wake."

Klaus stepped up on the stage and tapped the microphone,"Good evening everyone! I wanna thank you for being here with me to celebrate! It's been a long time coming!"

* * *

"So much for homecoming."

Matt glanced at his 'date' and was once again hit by how much she resembled Elena. But, he remembered, Elena was back at the Salvatore house, watching Rebekah's body in the basement. For the first time, Elena was happy she had a doppelganger.

"This is weird! Us being here together..."

"There's Caroline and Meredith." Katherine ignored him,"They don't know anything. Act normal."

"Hey!" Caroline greeted,"Klaus is here."

Matt frowned,"What?"

"Yeah! Apparently our sired hybrid-friend Tyler thought it would be okay to let his master throw a party! We expected more surprise..." Meredith furrowed her eyebrows.

"I've learned not to be surprised by anything Klaus does." Katherine shrugged,"I'm gonna go find Evanna."

Caroline watched her go and turned back to Matt,"What's going on? And what are you two doing here together? Thought you were supposed to be here with Rebekah."

"Plan's changed. I need a drink."

* * *

Evanna met up with Katherine on the stairs and pointed towards Stefan and Klaus.

Katherine listened in on their conversation.

"Quite the Homecoming." Commented Stefan as his eyes swept around the party.

"I've been planning my father's funeral for a thousand years. Granted, in no version of it were any of these people invited, but you get the idea."

"So, what now? Stop running?"

"Hm, now I reunite my family."

"Your family. You mean the people you cart around in caskets?"

"None of that matters anymore. Mikael is gone. Bygones will be bygones. Seems the Homecoming Queen still walks among the living, which leads me to believe Rebekah isn't here... Where is she?"

"I have no idea. I thought she was coming with Matt."

"I said I have no idea. How would you like me to take you to your father?"

"Well, it wouldn't be a party without the guest of honor, would it? Bring him to me."

"All right. Perhaps there's something in it for me...? My freedom from your compulsion?"

"Oh, you want your freedom. Well, once he is dead and his weapon destroyed, you'll have your freedom. It'll be my pleasure to give it back."

Up on the stairs, Katherine turned to Evanna and relayed everything she'd heard.

"I suppose you know where the original blondie is?"

Evanna motioned with her hand that she'd daggered her; Klaus or Stefan could overhear her, and like she said, she wasn't willing to take any chances.

"Impressive." Katherine smiled,"You've got guts, I like that."

"Gee, good to know."

* * *

"Did my daughter go to the dance?"

Damon finished pouring himself a glass of blood and answered Mikael,"Yep. You missed the photo op. Did you get the stake?"

"I did."

"I'm not gonna take your word for it. No offense to your honor and all..."

"None taken." Mikael produced the stake from his jacket pocket and showed it to him.

"Fancy." Damon remarked,"May I?"

"It's the only weapon on this earth that can kill an original. So I think I'll hold on to it. No offense."

"I'd offer you a drink but Katherine tells me you're more of a 'vampire on the rocks' kind of guy."

"Technically you could still offer."

"Why feed on vampires? Don't tell me it's for the smooth after taste."

"I had a hand in creating vampires, but blood lust was never my intention. Over the centuries I learned to feed from the predator, not the innocent."

Stefan walked in, interrupting the conversation,"Change of plans. Klaus is back. He is at the Lockwood's and he wants your body delivered to his doorstep."

"I'm afraid he is in for a colossal disappointment."

"Well, he's certainly not gonna come here. I hope your plan didn't depend on that?"

Damon shook his head,"Didn't depend on that."

"But you do have a plan, right?"

"Oh, yeah. We have a plan, right. Just doesn't involve you."

Mikael leaped forward and drank from Stefan until he fell to the floor unconscious.

Damon tilted his head at the sight of his brother's body.

"You couldn't have just broken his neck?"

"Well that certainly occurred to me."

* * *

Klaus and Tyler stood to the side, watching the party happen.

"My mom would seriously freak if she saw all these people here."

"Your mother won't be a problem: I compelled her to go to church and pray for your friends." Klaus grinned.

"What are you talking about?"

"I want you to look around. There is Evanna, there is Elena, Meredith and Matt and there's your pretty little girlfriend Caroline. Epic dance was wrecked tonight and who came through with the party? You did. What a pal. But who are all these other people here?"

"I have no idea. I've never seen half these people in my life."

"That's because I've invited a few dozen friends of my own. That's my friend Mindy - picked her up along the way in Kansas. Did you know that there's an entire bloodline of werewolves in the heartland? That's Tony from North Dakota and let's not forget the Seattle contingent."

"Are those people all hybrids?"

"And they also love a good party. And they're like you were sired by me, they wish to serve their master. So if anyone should so much as make a move against me, they may feel obligated to retaliate. You're free to warn your friends."

* * *

"Where's your date for tonight?"

Evanna looked up to see Klaus,"Didn't bring one."

"I expected Damon to be here somewhere."

"High school parties aren't his thing."

Klaus shrugged and moved onto the next subject,"Well, seems I have you to thank for Mikael's demise."

"He came at me. I had no choice."

"Still I'm impressed. It's not easy for someone to dagger an Original."

"It wasn't the first time."

"Right. Elijah. You seem nervous."

"I'm not nervous." Evanna shook her head, shrugging softly,"I just don't like you."

"Let's get straight to the point then, shall I, love? People have been after me for 1,000 years. And I am always one step ahead. So whatever it is you're thinking of trying, go for it, give it your best shot. You won't succeed."

* * *

Damon approached the Lockwood's front door.

The hybrid out front stopped him,"Invite only, vampire."

"Here's my RSVP." Damon said, and ripped out the hybrid's heart. He scoffed and threw the heart away.

"Hybrids..."

* * *

Tyler was fighting his guilt when he ran into Damon.

Tyler had vervained Caroline and asked Matt to get everyone out of there. Something was going down tonight, and he didn't want his friends getting hurt.

Damon grabbed his jacket collar and shoved him into his father's study,"As the host you should know these hybrids don't make the best first impression."

"Whatever move you're making, Klaus is gonna be ready for you. He'll kill anyone at this party if he has to."

"Tell someone who cares." Damon advised and attacked him.

Tyler and he fought until both of them froze, feeling their respective brains begin to burst. Suddenly, Tyler fell unconscious and Damon was able to turn his head to see Evanna walking in, holding out her hands. She let down the magic and put her hands on her hips.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You weren't suppose to witchy migraine me!"

"_You _weren't supposed to kill Tyler!"

"He tried to bite me!" Damon bent down and picked up the dagger that had fallen from his jacket pocket.

"What are you doing with that?"

"Nothing."

"Oh, my God, did you -?"

"Ssh!" He mouthed the next part to her,"They're everywhere."

"Why do you have it?" Evanna whispered back.

"Because I'm the only one who can get inside the house!"

* * *

Evanna left Damon to his own devices and hurried off to find Katherine.

They had planned to cross Klaus, and now they were planning to cross Mikael? When she explained things to Katherine, the vampire agreed that they needed their own plan.

"Wait..." Evanna stopped,"Look around and find the missing friend."

"We're playing _Where's Wally_?"

Evanna gave Katherine a look,"Just look around."

Katherine shrugged and complied before turning to Evanna,"Stefan..."

* * *

Katherine slapped an unconscious Stefan as Evanna glanced worriedly at the clock.

"Stefan!"

"Elena?"

"Not quite." She tossed him a blood bag,"Drink up! We've only got a minute before people notice we're not there."

Stefan drank the blood bag and hopped up, turning to Evanna.

"I assume you have a plan?"

Evanna beamed, tilting her head to one side.

"Don't I always?"

* * *

That's what led to Katherine and Evanna waiting in the shadows while Stefan planned to stop Damon when the time was right.

"Hello, Niklaus." They watched Mikael say to his son.

"Hello, Mikael. Why don't you come in? Oh, that's right. I forgot you can't."

"Or, you could come outside."

"Or I could watch my hybrids tear you limb from limb."

"They can't kill me."

"True. But it'll make a hell of a party game. All I have to do is rub these two fingers together and they'll pounce."

"The big bad wolf. You haven't changed. Still hiding behind your playthings like a coward. You only forget. They may be sired by you, but they're still part vampire. And they can be compelled by me." Mikael reminded him,"Come out and face me, Niklaus, or I send every hybrid here after your electi."

"Go ahead, kill her."

"If she dies, this lot will be last of your abominations."

"I don't need them. I just need to be rid of you."

"To what end, Niklaus? So you can live forever, with no one at your side? Nobody cares about you anymore, boy! What do you have other than those whose loyalty you forced? No one. No one."

"I'm calling your bluff, _father_. Kill her."

"Come outside and face me, you little coward. And I won't have to."

"My whole life you've underestimated me. If you kill her you lose your leverage. So go ahead. Go on. Kill her. Come on, old man. Kill her. Kill her!"

Suddenly, Damon was slamming Klaus into the wall.

"Your impulse, Niklaus. It has and will forever be the one thing that keeps you from truly being great." Mikael chuckled.

Katherine motioned to Evanna to stay put and sped out, stopping behind Mikael. He turned around, shocked.

"You're not supposed to be here."

"Surprise." Katherine smirked, rounding back and pulling the pin on two vervain bombs.

The hybrids were beginning to walk up the steps, so she threw them in the air and watched them explode. The hybrids fell back.

Evanna spotted another trying to sneak up, and used her powers to fling him towards herself. Once he fell to the ground in front of her, Evanna stabbed him with a vervain dart, shoving his body to one side, and successfully staying hidden in the shadows.

Inside, and unaware of Evanna's participation, Damon was seconds away from staking Klaus.

Stefan used that moment to act, and tackled Damon away and hold him down.

"What are you doing, Stefan?!"

Klaus took the dagger and lunged at Mikael, killing him. Mikael went up in flames, and the screams only stopped when he was a pile of ash.

"What the hell did you do?" Damon whispered to Stefan, pushing him off.

"He's earned his freedom. Thank you my friend. You no longer have to do as I say. You're free."

Stefan nodded and looked for his brother, only to find that he had fled.

* * *

"How did this happen?" Evanna asked, feigning shock.

She had changed into regular clothes by now and Damon was already on his fourth glass of scotch.

"We thought of everything, Evanna! Klaus having hybrids. Mikael turning on us. We brought in Katherine and kept you away from the danger! Anything that could have gone wrong we were prepared!"

"Stefan wanted Klaus dead. More than anything. That's what we were counting on." _Another lie._

"We blew it."

Finally a question came to Evanna's mind which she genuinely needed to ask,"Where's Katherine gone?"

"She ran for the hills like usual, the minute things got bad! And who blames her?! Klaus would've crushed her. I had him, Evanna. I had Klaus! This could have all been over!" Damon had switched from a scotch glass to a scotch bottle by now, but this only ended up being thrown into the fire.

The flames heightened to a frightening level and Evanna stepped forward.

"Hey. Damon..." She reached for his arm but he shrugged her off,"Hey!" She grabbed his arm this time, and turned him to face her, placing her hands on his face to keep his attention,"Hey, listen to me! We'll survive this. We always survive. Trust me."

"We're never getting Stefan back. You know that, right?"

Evanna nodded,"Then we'll let him go. We'll have to let him go."

Damon nodded and they continued their embrace for a few seconds before his phone's ringtone shattered the moment.

Neither of them had realized how close they'd gotten until it rang and they separated.

"Not interested in the play by play of our failure right now, Katherine." Damon answered.

"I'm just calling to say goodbye. I don't know what to tell you. Evanna had a good plan. She's sneaky, that one, and that's high praise coming from me."

Damon narrowed his eyes as they landed on Evanna, who was distractedly playing with her hair,"Yeah... That's not very comforting at the moment. You're going back into hiding?"

"At least my life is not boring. Goodbye, Damon."

"Take care of yourself, Katherine." He said and hung up.

Evanna looked at him expectantly, and he shrugged.

"Katherine's going into hiding."

Evanna nodded and he pursed his lips,"She said you had a good plan."

Damon watch Evanna halt and he knew he'd caught her out on something.

"Evanna..." He began slowly,"What plan was Katherine talking about?"

"I may have joined forces with Katherine and woke up Stefan purely for the purpose of stopping you..." She admitted, looking guiltily up at him through thick eyelashes.

"Why would you do that?!"

"Because I seem to be the only one remembering when Mikael said the dagger would kill you if you used it. I was trying to protect you."

"What if it had gone wrong, Evanna?"

"It didn't."

"It could have! Katherine or Stefan could have crossed you."

"But they didn't. Stefan wanted his freedom, and Katherine has already proven before she'd help us against Klaus."

"I can't believe you hid this from me."

"Oh, like you hid things from me all summer?"

"You're never gonna get over that, are you?" Damon huffed,"No, okay, no. Why are we fighting like an old married couple?"

"Don't know, but I want a divorce." Evanna quipped, a hand on her hip.

"Fine! But _I _get custody of Alaric!"

* * *

In her car, Katherine hung up her phone and stopped her car.

She glanced over at the passenger seat,"Are you good from here? I need to put about a million miles between myself and Klaus as soon as possible. Stefan?"

"Yeah." He nodded and climbed out of the car. He looked in the open window,"Bye, Katherine."

Katherine nodded and watched him speed off.

She kick-started her car up again and sped down the highway.


	10. Chapter 10

**Vampire Diaries**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

_Evanna could feel the leaves under her feet as she walked through the woods. _

_She wasn't sure why she was there, but her legs were carrying her and she decided to follow. She could compartmentalize enough to know that she was dreaming, but was surprised when she ended up in the basement of the witches house. There were four coffins in the room around her and she quirked an eyebrow at them. One in particular called to her and she walked towards. Biting the inside of her lip, she reached out and put her hand under the lid. She figured opening it quickly would be better; kinda like ripping off a band aid. _

_She saw Klaus inside, Elena's necklace wrapped delicately around the hands that lay on his chest. Evanna went to pick it up, but she heard something behind her. She whirled around and..._

And woke up in her own bed.

Evanna frowned and ran a hand through her messy hair; why did the dream have to end at the best, most helpful, part? She got up and got dressed in her workout clothes. Apart of her new training was jogging every morning. She went out early in the morning, and Saturdays weren't the exception.

Evanna tied her hair into a high ponytail and surveyed herself in her mirror. She was still a girl; she liked to look good. She'd chosen grey tracksuit pants and a pink sports bra. Evanna slipped on her pink and white trainers and set off around the corner of her street. She'd been running for fifteen minutes before she felt her senses kick up. Something was following her.

She glanced behind herself and saw a man jogging too, his hood pulled over his head. Evanna shook her head and resumed her jogging for another block, speeding up to put some distance between herself and the man. The feeling didn't leave her, so she stopped and bent down to pretend she was fixing her laces.

Evanna skillfully looked behind herself and realized he wasn't there anymore. She stood, looked down the road and shrugged. Evanna was becoming paranoid, she was sure of it. She turned back to continue on and jumped.

"Excuse me. Should have been watching where I was going." He apologized.

Evanna shook her head, narrowing her eyes slightly,"Don't worry about it."

"Have a nice day."

He jogged past her and she watched him go. Oh yeah, it was time to go home.

* * *

Evanna met Meredith at the Grill and sat down in front of her.

It had been a few days since Mikael had died, and she hadn't relaxed since.

"I feel like I'm going crazy. Totally paranoid all the time." Evanna said, popping a fry into her mouth.

"You have a right to be. Klaus is still out there and he knows you tried to kill him."

"Why hasn't he made a move? There has been no sign of him. Nothing. Just my slow spiral into insanity."

A sympathetic look passed Meredith's face,"You had that dream again?"

"Yeah! Four coffins, Klaus is in one of them. It's weird."

"What if it's not just some dream? What if it's like... you know... witch dream?"

Evanna shook her head,"It's probably just stress. I'll figure it out."

"How's Elena?"

"Upset. She thought Stefan was back, I mean, he did help save Damon."

"How is Damon handling it?"

"Damon is... Damon. I don't know, I don't want to talk about this. Wanna split a strawberry cheesecake?"

* * *

"Oh, I give you a choice. Bloody Mary or Screw Driver. Brunch in a bottle. Come on Rick, I can't drink all this by myself. I mean I can but then somebody's getting naked." Damon pouted,"Oh man, I can't believe you're making me drink alone."

Alaric saw the look on Evanna's face as she glanced over and shook his head at Damon,"I'm busy."

"It's the eve of Klaus-aggedon. You're doing homework?"

"This may come as a shock but I am not here to hang out with you. I'm here to see Jeremy who is an hour late for his shift."

"Kids today... where are their values?"

"That's his mid-term paper." Alaric said, showing him the paper,"Copied it straight off the internet. Didn't even try to hide it."

"Ooh, somebody's getting grounded."

"Did you say you are waiting for Jeremy - as in Jeremy Gilbert?" A girl behind the bar asked them.

Alaric nodded,"Yeah."

"He was fired last week."

Damon pursed his lips and tipped back his drink.

"Oops."

* * *

Evanna paced by the dartboard, listening to her phone go to voice mail.

"Jeremy, the minute you get this, call me!" She hung up and huffed,"Unbelievable!"

"You're cute when you're mad." Damon smirked, aiming a dart and hitting the bull's eye.

"It's not that I'm mad. I'm just - I'm worried. He won't answer Elena's calls either."

"So, he lost his job at the Grill. He'll survive, Evanna."

"He is spiraling. Ever since Anna went away, he's moody, he is not really talking to anyone."

"So he's a typical teenager."

"Who's seeing ghosts and has lost a lot of people that he cares about."

"He's got you."

Evanna stopped pacing and narrowed her eyes at him,"Are you okay?"

"What makes you think I'm not okay?"

"Well, you're day-drunk; that's not exactly your most attractive look."

Damon smirked and began getting close to her,"Hm, what is my most attractive look?"

Evanna tilted her head back and set a hand on his chest to stop him from coming any closer; though it's not like he could. She laughed softly,"There is no way I can answer that without sounding bitchy, so... no comment."

"Ouch." He winked at her,"Kitty's got claws."

Evanna smirked,"Like you didn't already know that."

"Don't mind me."

Evanna's head snapped around to see Klaus leaning against the banister. He grinned at them.

Damon rolled his eyes,"You gonna do this in the Grill? In front of everyone? It's a little beneath you, don't you think?"

"I don't know what you are talking about. I just came down to my local pub to grab a drink with a mate."

A man came up then and Evanna recognized him as the jogger from that morning.

"Get a round in, would you, Tony?" Klaus ordered.

Tony walked off and Damon took on his signature lazy arrogance,"I'm surprised you stuck around town long enough for happy hour."

"My sister seems to be missing. Need to sort that out."

"Cute blonde bombshell, psycho? Shouldn't be too hard to find." Damon remarked.

"Truth is, I've grown to rather like your little town. Think I might fancy a home here. Oh, I imagine you're wondering how does this is affect you. The answer is: not in the slightest. Unless I get what I want and everyone behaves themselves you can go on living your little lives however you choose. You have my word."

Evanna frowned,"What more could you possibly want?"

"Well for starters, you can tell me where I might find Stefan."

"Stefan skipped town the second he saved your ass."

"Well you see that is a shame. Your brother stole from me. I need him found so I can take back what's mine."

Evanna piped in next,"That seems more like a Klaus and Stefan problem."

Klaus advanced on her, but she didn't move back. She didn't have to, because Damon wedged himself between them.

Klaus noticed this and smirked.

"Ha. Well this is me broadening the scope, sweetheart."

* * *

Evanna had told Sheila about her dreams, and they had planned to go to the abandoned witches' house.

Klaus's return didn't change that. Besides, Evanna felt safer with her Grams. They headed inside and down to the basement.

"Maybe it was just a dream..." Sheila explained as they noticed the lack of dead Originals.

"Hello, Evanna. Sheila."

"Stefan!" Evanna exclaimed, her hand flying to her heart,"What are you doing here?"

"I followed you. You should be more careful."

"Thanks for the tip." She replied sarcastically,"Where'd you go?"

"Here and there. I need your help. I helped you with your plan..."

"Damn, now I owe you... what do you need?"

"Let me fill you in on a little secret about Klaus. He kept his family with him at all times - daggered. Stored in coffins. And now I have them, and I need you to help keep them hidden."

"Are you out of your mind?" Sheila asked,"You're just gonna make him angrier."

"His family is his one weakness. As long as I have that, I can ruin him."

Evanna groaned and turned to her grandmother.

"He has a point."

* * *

Evanna spent some time with her Grams - normal time - and headed home.

Elena and Alaric had come up with a plan; ambush Jeremy while making dinner together. Evanna had to be in on the action. It was like an intervention.

"I'm home!" She called into the house, skipping into the kitchen.

"So, you're ready?" Alaric asked as she stopped by the counter.

Evanna began helping Elena cut up peppers,"Vampires, hybrids and originals - no problem. A rebellious Jeremy - I'm worried."

Elena grinned at her, quirking a perfectly shaped eyebrow in a teasing manner,"Proof you're still human."

Evanna threw a piece of pepper at her and almost choked on her laughter when it hit Elena right on the forehead.

"Now I smell like pepper!" Elena whined, throwing out the bit that had fallen on the floor.

The front door opened and Jeremy walked in.

"Just in time!" Elena smiled,"We're making dinner."

"Sorry, just passing through."

"Ah, well I thought we would all stay in, have a meal together like a typical, atypical family." Elena said from beside Evanna.

"Why?"

Evanna shrugged,"Maybe because you got fired and you didn't tell anyone?"

"Ahh - look, can we do this later? I made plans with Tyler. He's right outside."

Alaric frowned,"Wait! When did you start hanging out with Tyler?"

"I don't know... Does it matter?"

"Yeah, Jeremy!" Elena exclaimed,"It matters."

"He was sired by Klaus." Evanna reminded him,"He's dangerous."

"He can still hear you. He is right outside. Besides, you of all people are gonna lecture me on who I can and can't hang out with?"

Evanna folded her arms,"What is with the attitude?"

"Yeah, whatever, this is lame. Tyler is waiting."

Evanna slammed the front door shut using her powers,"Oh, no no! You're not going anywhere, especially not with Tyler."

"Evanna, seriously?!" He looked at the others for help.

"We're with her on this, Jer. Sorry." Elena said, genuinely feeling bad.

"All right, fine. You want me to stay in? Let's all stay in then."

Elena's eyes widened,"Jeremy!"

"Yo, Tyler! Come on in!"

* * *

Damon poured himself a drink and took a swig of it.

He turned around and saw Klaus standing at the doorway,"I think it's about time we had a drink, don't you?"

"I'd say we're overdue."

"Well, you've been so busy with all your plotting and scheming."

"You know me. Never miss a chance to plan an epic failure."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. Who could have guessed your own brother would betray you?"

"Well, I did have a front row seat when your sister lied to you."

"Yeah, well she's fickle that one. And you say you have no idea of her whereabouts?"

"That's the thing with younger siblings. You just never know what they're gonna do. Drink?"

* * *

Jeremy handed Tyler a glass of water.

"Thanks."

"This is weird." Evanna said, leaning her chin on her hand,"Klaus has hybrids stalking me and now you're just sitting in our kitchen."

"Look, maybe I should go."

"Oh, stay. You're not doing anything." Jeremy shrugged.

"Unless you have to, you know, check in with your hybrid master." Elena chimed in, taking a seat beside Evanna.

Tyler laughed,"It's not like that, Elena."

Alaric leaned forward,"Tell me Tyler...What is the difference between being sired and being compelled?"

"Compulsion ... that's just mind control - like hypnosis. And being sired is ... it's like faith. You do something because you believe it's the right thing."

"So you believe that serving Klaus is the right thing?" Evanna questioned next.

"I don't serve him. Klaus released me from a curse that was ruining my life. I owe him for that."

Alaric narrowed his eyes,"What if he asked you to jump off a bridge?"

"He wouldn't! And even if he did I'd be fine. I'm a hybrid."

"Okay..." Evanna thought,"And what if he asked you to rip your own heart out?"

"Again, he wouldn't."

"_But_, what if he did?"

"I don't know! Then I'd rip out my heart! You guys sound like Caroline, getting all freaked out over something you don't understand."

Evanna straightened up,"You're right, Ty, we don't understand. Klaus has terrorized every single one of us and you're just blindly loyal to him."

* * *

After a while, Tyler left.

"So, Tyler Lockwood is now a _lunatic_ who has access to our house." Elena said, trying to act calm about it.

"I mean this whole sire bond thing is... wild." Alaric began,"I don't even think Tyler is fully aware of what little reason lies behind what he's saying. It's this weird cult logic."

"Well, great, that's a wonderful influence for you Jer..." Elena trailed off, realizing her brother had slipped out.

Evanna narrowed her eyes suspiciously,"How does he even do that?"

Elena picked up Jeremy's eternity ring,"His ring. Where did he go?"

After a shared look, all three of them darted outside.

Elena frowned when they spotted Jeremy standing in the middle of the road,"What is he doing?"

Suddenly, the sound of tires screeching made all of them jump. An SUV barreled towards Jeremy, who stayed still. Alaric lunged and knocked Jeremy out of the way, only to land on the hood himself. He rolled off it and the SUV drove away. The three women ran to them. Elena grabbed her brother and Evanna landed beside Alaric.

"He's wearing his ring." She announced, the tension flowing from her body about fifty percent as she stood up, glaring at the SUV driver. Tony grinned at her, revealing gleaming, sharp white teeth.

"There I go again, bumping into people."

He drove off and Evanna ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

"Jeremy, are you all right?" Elena asked him.

"I don't understand." He replied, seemingly shaken up.

Evanna knelt down in front of him,"Who was on the phone earlier, Jer?"

"Klaus!"

Evanna swallowed thickly,"You were compelled. We need to get you and Rick inside, come on."

* * *

Elena was standing protectively behind Jeremy's chair, and the three were waiting patiently for Alaric to wake up, when Damon walked in the door.

"How is he?"

"He's dead, but he had his ring. Klaus's hybrid hit him. Now we just wait." Evanna shrugged, sitting down on the coffee table.

Damon nodded and stared at Jeremy's wrist,"Jeremy, why aren't you wearing vervain? Where is your bracelet?"

"I don't know."

"It was Tyler!" Elena exclaimed,"It had to have been. That's why he was hanging out with you. To get you off the vervain."

"Klaus is trying to send us a message. He wants us to find Stefan who stole his coffins full of his dead family members."

"Coffins?" Evanna repeated, looking up innocently.

Damon tilted his head,"What do you know?"

"Why do you assume I know something?"

Damon gave her a pointed look,"You know something."

"I totally do." Evanna confessed,"Stefan kinda showed up at the witches house."

Damon seemed surprised to hear Stefan was back, and was a little hurt that he didn't stop by,"We'll talk later."

"Wait!" Jeremy piped up,"What's our big plan? To steal back four dead originals so this evil hybrid doesn't kill us and everyone else we know?"

Damon's eyes moved to Jeremy,"Got a better idea?"

Jeremy stood up,"Yeah! Let's get the hell outta here! Pack our bags and go!"

Elena touched his arm,"Jeremy, calm down."

"No, no! I'm not gonna calm down, Elena! This happens every time, no matter what we do! Get on my case about school and work - who cares? None of us are gonna make it out of this town alive."

Jeremy stormed out of the room and Evanna inhaled deeply, standing up,"Klaus wants his family back - "

Damon shook his head,"No! No! I know what you're thinking - the answer is no!"

Elena sighed and stepped up beside Evanna,"If we give him Rebekah - "

"Yeah, then Klaus undaggers her, first thing she does is kill Evanna! Frying pan, fire - not an option!"

Elena sighed, and then suddenly pursed her lips, hit with an idea.

"The coffins - how many did you say there were?"

* * *

Evanna and Damon reached the front door of the witches' house and stepped inside.

"I thought you said this place lost all its mojo."

"The dead witches were angry at me for bringing Jeremy back to life. I guess now they have something they want me to know."

"I hate witches. So fickle... Passive aggressive..."

"Hey!" Evanna said, slugging him in that arm. She led him to the basement,"Stefan?"

"Come on, Stef!" Damon called. His skin began to burn like last time and he sped to a dark, shadowy corner,"Again?!Seriously?!"

Evanna stifled a giggle,"Wait outside..."

"Evanna..."

"Relax, I'll be fine."

Damon rolled his eyes and sped outside.

Stefan appeared then,"You're here early."

"Yeah, we need your help."

"With what?"

"Listen, you need to give Klaus his family back."

"Oh, is that what I need to do?"

"Klaus compelled Jeremy to stand in front of speeding car. Don't you get it? Stefan, he's not gonna stop until he gets what he wants."

"I'm not giving Klaus anything, Evanna."

"Well then I'm not hiding the coffins for you. See you later, Stefan."

Evanna walked out of the house and Damon pursed his lips,"Well... that went well."

"Don't even start, Damon."

"Let me talk to him."

"You can't get in! The witches won't let you!"

"Here. Take my car keys. You go deal with your crazy family member, I'll deal with mine."

Evanna took a deep breath, and allowed him to drop his keys in her palm. Before she walked passed him, she reached out and squeezed his bicep.

"Be careful?"

"I will if you will."

* * *

Evanna parked Damon's car beside her own and headed into her house.

In the living room, she spotted Elena and Alaric on the couch.

"Hey, Rick! When did you return to the land of the living?"

"Just a few minutes ago."

Evanna smiled, and nodded upstairs,"How's Jeremy?"

"Hating me." Elena began,"Hating life. Hating the fact that we can't even have a family dinner without somebody dying before dessert. Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Evanna nodded, glancing over at Alaric who'd begun to cough and splutter,"Is Alaric?"

Alaric nodded, but coughed again. Blood dropped down his chin.

"Oh, my God!" Elena exclaimed,"Rick, are you okay?"

"Something's wrong!" Alaric wheezed,"The ring!"

He collapsed then, and Evanna reached for the phone, punching in 9-1-1.

* * *

Evanna pulled open the door for the paramedics and led them into the hall, absentmindedly leaving the front door wide open.

"What happened?" The first paramedic, Brian, asked.

"He got hit by a car and... he's coughing up blood." Elena answered in full panic mode.

Paramedic number two, Daniel, knelt down beside Alaric's unconscious form,"Get his vitals."

"Pulse pretty weak. Looks like internal bleeding. We gotta get him outta here."

"Let's move!"

"Let's not and say we did. Why don't you two meet us at the hospital?" Evanna turned to the doorway and tensed at the sight of Tony.

"What?" Elena asked, her tone laced with disbelief. The two paramedics left the house and Elena rushed forward, stopping a safe distance away from Tony,"No, no, no, wait. No wait! You have to help him! What are you doing?"

"You can still save him, Evanna." Tony said,"Just take my blood. You'll have to invite me in."

"Why are you doing this?" Evanna asked, crossing her arms.

"Klaus asked for his family. You didn't deliver."

Rick began to cough again and she looked at him. Elena was on her knees beside him, but Evanna remained tall.

"Might want to invite me in, Evanna."

Suddenly, Tony fell to the ground. Evanna stared at the arrow sticking out from his back and looked up.

"Jeremy?"

"He's not dead... yet." Jeremy said, setting down the crossbow and walking into the kitchen.

"Jeremy, what are you doing?" Elena called after him.

Jeremy came out, wielding a butcher knife. In one quick motion, he beheaded Tony. Evanna swung around to avoid seeing Tony be beheaded and turned back when it was over.

"We need to get Alaric to the hospital, now."

The girls just stared after him.

What the hell had just happened?

* * *

Alaric was in hospital, getting fixed up, and Elena was watching Jeremy at home.

Evanna was, however, at the boarding house after Rick convinced her to go home. Okay, the boarding house wasn't what he had had in mind, but...

"Thank you for coming." Evanna said, opening the door for Klaus.

He stepped inside,"I trust you have news of Stefan."

"I couldn't find him. But I have something else."

Evanna led him to the cellar and pulled open the door, to reveal Rebekah's corpse.

"My poor sister. I can't turn my back on her for a moment."

"You have Rebekah. A deal is a deal."

"The life of my sister in exchange for your cousin? Yeah I'd say that's a bargain. Consider him spared."

"You should know I was the one that daggered her. When she wakes she'll come after me."

"I can control Rebekah. Besides I still need your help finding Stefan."

"I'm telling you, I don't know where he is."

Klaus walked over and pulled the dagger from Rebekah's back,"You're lying. Fortunately you have no shortage of loved ones. If I don't find my family the question you should be asking yourself is who's gonna die next! Sheila? One of your friends? Damon? It's only a matter of time before Stefan gives me what I want."

"He doesn't care about any of us anymore. You made sure of that. You turned him into a monster. Now he's your problem. And just so you know I'm not the only one that Rebekah wants dead. She knows what you did to your mother. She knows that you killed her. You can let yourself out."

* * *

Alaric had gone upstairs as soon as they came home.

The same could be said for Elena and Jeremy, though they were just in their bedrooms. Alaric was in the shower, Evanna had offered to clean up the blood on the porch, and Damon had come by and was currently disposing of the body... and the head.

"Did you get rid of him?" Evanna asked, scrubbing the cloth rid of blood.

"Yeah. Tony the headless hybrid is down at the bottom of Steven's Quarry."

"What about Alaric?"

"Took care of him, too. He'll be fine." Damon's voice became softer,"How are you?"

"I think I got most of the blood off the porch."

Damon's fingers wound around her wrist and pulled her around to face him,"Hey, look at me. It's gonna be okay."

"I have to tell you something. I made a deal with Klaus..." She admitted quietly,"I gave him Rebekah."

Damon's eyes widened,"What? No. No, no, no you did _not_ do that. She's gonna come here and try and kill you!"

"No she won't. Klaus won't let her because he needs me."

"And suddenly you trust him?"

"No, I don't trust him. But what other choice do I have? I don't trust Stefan. Do you think he's just gonna give up the coffins?"

"My brother is sort of running his own show right now."

"Yeah, and my cousin just chopped off someone's head." Evanna broke away from Damon and wiped the tear that slipped out despite her fight at keeping them in,"It's not right. It's not fair. He's barely 17 years old. He shouldn't have to live like this."

"Evanna..."

"There has to be another way; we have to fix this." Evanna felt her emotions well up again and turned around, trying to anchor herself by scrubbing the cloth.

Damon turned her around again and cupped her face.

"We will! Hey, Evanna. Hey. We will. Okay?"

* * *

After discussing things with Elena and Alaric, they finally decided what to do with Jeremy.

Elena couldn't take it, so she stayed in her room. Evanna nervously knocked on Jeremy's door and opened it.

"Hey. Can we talk?"

"Ah, what did I do now?"

"I've been thinking about what you said earlier. About how we should pack up and go..." Evanna said, perching on the edge of his bed.

"I didn't mean any of that."

"But you were right. You shoudn't have to give up a normal life - just because of me."

"What's going on?"

Damon walked into the room then and stood behind Evanna,"Your cousin thinks we should have one of our talks."

Damon sat down on the other side of Jeremy's bed and began compelling him,"Here's the thing, Jer. You're gonna go out of town for a while - a long while. You're gonna stay with some nice family friends in Denver, you're gonna be at a new school, you'll meet new girls, _living_ girls. You're going to drink a few beers, take an art class. You do whatever you want."

Alaric decided to add something,"Tell him he's gonna leave Mystic Falls behind and never think twice about it."

Damon looked at Evanna for confirmation and she nodded, unable to hide the tear rolling down her cheek. Damon looked back at Jeremy.

"You're gonna leave Mystic Falls behind and never think twice about it. You're gonna have a better life, Jeremy."

* * *

Evanna decided to walk Damon out and get some air.

She crossed her arms and kicked a small stone of the porch step,"I feel like a horrible person."

"You just saved his life, Evanna. Take it from me, strange is bad, dead is worse."

"I just can't stop thinking about what happened the last time I asked you to compel him."

"He found out. And he got over it. Again: not dead, Evanna! You did the right thing."

"Thank you, for helping us." She gave him a small smile.

"No problem."

"Not just for tonight, Damon. For everything... I don't know what I would do if I had to handle all this alone."

In an act that even surprised her, Evanna took his hand, leaned up and kissed his cheek.

Damon stared at her intently when she pulled back, a soft blush on her cheeks, and felt all the emotions that had become so familiar to him ever since she'd arrived in his life well up. And, then he felt guilty. She was focused on saving everyone while he just wanted to kiss her. When she had admitted she'd come up with a plan because she wanted to save him, he had thought the guilt would be over.

"I'm an idiot." He mumbled to himself, but she heard.

"Why?"

"'Cause I thought for one second that I wouldn't have to feel guilty anymore."

"What are you talking about? Guilty for what?"

Damon looked at her again, locking eyes,"For wanting what I want."

"Damon..."

"I know. Can't go there, yada, yada, yada." Damon took a deep breath, gave a hand a squeeze before letting it go, and turned away from her, heading down the steps.

Evanna bit the inside of her lip and watched him go, regret weighing heavy on her heart.

"No!" He exclaimed suddenly, piercing the silence,"No." He turned back around and began walking back to her,"If I'm gonna feel guilty about something, I'm gonna feel guilty about this."

Damon pulled Evanna to him and kissed her. One hand strayed from her waist and cupped her cheek as she pushed herself closer to him. Damon deepened the kiss himself, and pulled away slowly. They stared into each other's eyes for a couple of seconds before Damon gave her a small smile.

"Goodnight, Evanna."


	11. Chapter 11

**Vampire Diaries**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.  
**

* * *

"You're gonna punch a hole in that thing." Alaric commented, watching Evanna beat up the punching bag,"Wanna talk about it?"

"Nope."

They had been to see the coffins, and realized that the one Evanna always opened in her dream, couldn't be opened.

They'd tried fire, magic, a crow bar... it wouldn't budge. That, coupled with what had happened the night before, equaled one very frustrated Evanna.

On the other hand, Damon was supremely happy with himself. He walked out of the bathroom, his wet hair plastered to his forehead and a towel wrapped around his waist. Stefan stopped by the doorway and frowned at the whistling coming from his brother.

"Good morning." Damon said to him, walking passed.

"You're late. We were supposed to meet Evanna, Alaric and Sheila at the witch house in ten minutes."

"Relax, brother. You don't want your hair to fall out."

"Would you hurry up? We have work to do. You know, Klaus isn't gonna spontaneously self-destruct. Why are you all chipper?"

"No reason." Damon smiled,"Be with you in a minute."

* * *

"We have to go in ten minutes." Alaric reminded her, setting his hands on either side of the bag, and leaning against it, he steadied the swinging movement.

Evanna landed another kick to the punching bag, and it almost knocked the breath out of Alaric. Girl was getting strong.

"So, what's got you all worked up?"

"Didn't really sleep last night."

"Yeah, me neither. Probably something to do with dying..."

She grimaced,"Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine, I'm fine. I think the ring, however, is running low on batteries."

"Yeah, it's another reason why Jeremy has to get out of town. If those rings have a shelf life, he is not protected, neither are you."

Evanna began another round of beating the bag to a pulp and Alaric stepped back,"Nice, nice, you're getting stronger."

"I'm channeling frustration." Evanna let slip.

Alaric frowned at her and she took a deep breath, pursing her lips,"I need coffee."

Evanna walked over to the coffee maker and took off her protective glove,"Seems Damon's compulsion worked, Jeremy was packing when I left the house, going on about his new school in Denver."

"Have you talked to Damon today?" Evanna asked slowly.

"No. Why?"

Evanna turned and around sipped her coffee.

"No reason."

* * *

After changing into regular clothes, Alaric drove them to the witch house.

Evanna crossed her arms and pouted at the coffin,"Why won't you open?!"

Her stomach was filled her butterflies and her chest tightened when she thought about seeing Damon.

She shook her head and paused when she sensed someone in the house.

"What is it?" Sheila asked.

"I don't know."

Evanna turned and walked towards the staircase. She jumped when she saw Damon there. He put a finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet. He rushed back upstairs and ripped the hybrid's heart out before he could bite Stefan.

They went back downstairs and Damon smiled at Evanna. She took a deep breath, sent a shy and hesitant smile back, and turned to the coffin as Alaric spoke.

"It still won't open."

Stefan folded his arms and smirked,"Which means leaving them here, out in the open, isn't an option." His smirking face turned to Evanna,"Guess you'll have to help me hide them after all."

Evanna blinked at him and said simply,"Grr."

Despite himself, Stefan chuckled and it reminded everyone in the room of how things used to be when he was their _friend_.

Sheila narrowed her eyes,"What happened upstairs?"

Damon and his brother shared a look. Damon pursed his lips.

"Those hybrids, really bringing the neighborhood down."

* * *

Alaric took her to school soon after, leaving no time for Damon to corner her.

She still had like, fifteen minutes, before she had to go to class so she ran through the hallways and skidded to a stop beside Caroline's locker.

"Sorry, I'm late!" Evanna exclaimed to her cousin.

It was Caroline's birthday, and they were carrying on the tradition of decorating her locker. Elena and Meredith already had most of the decorations up anyway.

"Where were you?" Meredith asked casually, blowing up a balloon.

"Working out with Alaric and then trying to open the coffins."

"Did you get anywhere?" Elena asked her and Evanna shook her head.

"Damn thing's resistant to everything."

* * *

Caroline, not in the mood for school, went home.

What did it matter anyway? She'd be seventeen forever, technically. She unlocked her door and stepped inside.

"Happy Birthday!" Matt, Evanna, Meredith and Elena screamed, making her almost jump out of her skin.

"What are you guys doing here?!"

Evanna shrugged,"Well, you blew off school and missed our locker-art, so..."

Meredith nodded up the stairs,"Change into warmer clothes, we are going to the falls. Smores, camp fire."

"Cake, like when we were little." Elena finished.

"Except with tequila!" Matt added with a snort.

"Thanks, guys. Really, I'm just not feeling my birthday this year."

Evanna frowned,"What? You've already claimed your birthday as _everyone's_ favorite day of the year."

"Yeah, and now, it's just a reminder that technically, I'm dead. Look, I didn't even like 17. And the only point to 17 is to get to 18, it's a filler year, I'm stuck in the filler year."

Elena's face softened,"You're not stuck, Caroline."

"Yeah I am, but it's okay. You know, It's all good, I will be fine. But I just need some time to wallow in it."

Meredith stepped over to Caroline, a soft smile on her face.

"I think I have a better idea."

* * *

Damon and Alaric headed up to Mayor Lockwood's house for yet another Council Meeting.

"I thought Stefan saved your life."

"He did." Damon nodded.

"And now he is willing to risk it just to see how far he can push Klaus?"

"It seems so."

"So, is his humanity on, or off?"

Damon exhaled, scrunching up his features,"I think there is another option playing, a dimmer switch, which is a huge problem."

"Why?"

"Because I can't predict how far he is willing to go until someone gets killed."

"So you suddenly cares who lives or dies?"

"I have a small list."

"Talk about a humanity dimmer switch."

Childishly, Damon poked his tongue out,"Screw you."

Rick rolled his eyes, and turned back towards the entrance of the Lockwood house.

"Can't a council meeting ever just be a council meeting?"

* * *

Meredith pushed the door to a tomb and Evanna grimaced,"This is weird, even for us."

"No, Caroline was right. Technically, she is dead." Meredith sent an apologetic look Caroline's way,"Sorry. But you don't need a birthday, you need a funeral. You need to say goodbye to your old life so that you can move on with your new one."

Meredith explained and Caroline nodded, an impressed grin on her face.

"Okay," She began,"Here lies Caroline Forbes."

"Cheerleader, Miss Mystic Falls, third grade hopscotch champion." Elena continued, sticking birthday candles into Caroline's cake.

"Friend, daughter, overachiever." Meredith quipped with a sly grin.

Matt opened his mouth,"Mean girl, sometimes, no offense."

Caroline waved it off,"Ah, none taken."

"She was 17, and she had a really good life." Evanna smiled,"So rest in peace, so that she can move forward. That's what you really need. What we all really need. Amen, or cheers or whatever."

Elena laughed,"Evanna? Little help."

Evanna stepped over to the cake, closed her eyes and when she opened them, each candle had lit up.

Matt raised an eyebrow,"Impressive."

"Okay, Caroline." Meredith smiled,"Make a wish."

* * *

Alaric was looking at the Wickery Bridge model when Dr. Fell walked over.

She had treated him the day before and had become suspicious at his quick recovery.

"There's the miracle patient." Abby smiled.

"Dr. Fell."

"I'm glad to see your still alive. A part of me thought you would have drop dead in your sleep."

"Well, I guess I have nine lives."

"Not a bad thing to have in a town with vampire problem."

"Sorry? Are you on the founders council?"

"I'm a Fell." Abby shrugged,"I come from a long line of founders. May they rest in peace. I hate that bridge. My senior prom date dumped me on this bridge."

"Oh yeah? Did you throw him over?"

Abby laughed,"No, but I should have. I've been holding a grudge ever since. Where did your friend go? Damon, is it? I'm supposed to hit him up for some money for the fundraiser."

"You should. He's loaded."

"He is in good company. Some British guy just pledge to match every dollar we raised."

Alaric froze,"What do you mean a British guy?"

* * *

"What color are your eyes?"

Carol looked back at Klaus,"They're blue."

"Oh yes, they are."

"Well, well." Damon smirked,"Look what the cat dragged in. Nice vest."

"Thank you very much, good to see you Damon." Klaus smirked back,"Carol and I were discussing about whether you would be the other big benefactor."

"What do you say Damon? Klaus has made a very generous pledge. You know how we're chomping at the bit to begin the renovation."

"Carol, don't take this the wrong way, but do you realize that you've been kissing the ass of an immortal hybrid who ruined your son's life?"

"Oh, come now. Some would say that I saved him from all that nasty full moon business. I know how to go through it myself, more than twice to be honest but still, I'm very sympathetic."

"Klaus has promised to protect Tyler, Damon. And our town."

"From who? His hybrids are the one the town needs protection from."

"Well, I'd have no use for them if your brother would kindly return my family."

"Not gonna happen."

"That's what I thought, which is why I've come to an agreement with the mayor. You and the council stay out of my hair, I stay out of yours. Your town gets protected, my hybrids get left alone and everybody will be happy. All you have to do is to get Stefan to stop decapitating my friends."

"Please, Damon," Carol began,"Just get your brother under control or the council will be forced to take action against him."

"You have gotta be kidding me."

"Oh, come on mate, give peace a chance."

* * *

By seven o'clock, it had gotten dark and the five friends had gotten well and truly drunk.

Matt pulled out another bottle of tequila which was quickly nabbed by Evanna,"Oh no, I need this more than you. Trust me."

Elena narrowed her eyes at Caroline,"What are you doing?"

"Nothing." Caroline lied obviously.

"Okay, you're a bad sober liar, you're an even worse drunk liar." Meredith told her,"What are you up to?"

"I may have texted Tyler..."

Evanna groaned,"_Caroline_..."

"What? I'm delicate."

* * *

"The mayor is looking out for Tyler. For now we have to assume Klaus has her in his pocket." Liz said as she and Damon walked through the party being held in the town hall.

"Oh please don't tell me you're gonna drink the Klaus Kool-Aid."

"I'm not gonna let him hold this town hostage. But I'm also not gonna let innocent people get caught in a cross fire in a pissing contest between a hybrid and a vampire."

"Liz, I'm impressed, you're all strong and sheriff-y."

"I'm not kidding, Damon. Get Stefan to stand down from this one before someone gets hurt."

* * *

Damon pushed his brother against a wall upstairs and took the long knife from his hands.

"What are you doing, Damon?"

"What are _you_ doing? No dead hybrids at the Founder's party."

"No. I told Klaus to get his hybrids out of town, he didn't listen so I'm gonna say it louder."

"You don't think there's 10 more where that came from? And if you kill them, Klaus won't make 20 more? Have you forgotten about Evanna's part in all of this? Or do you not care if she is a human blood bag for the rest of her life?"

"Protecting people is your problem now. See, I'm not compelled by Klaus to do that anymore."

"Don't give me that no-humanity crap, you can't just flip your switch. Evanna's your best friend. Your switch is fried Stefan, just like your brain. You want to take Klaus? You want to beat the villain? You gotta be smarter."

"To beat the villain, Damon, you have to be the better villain."

* * *

"Sorry," Tyler apologized the second he walked into the tomb,"Didn't mean to crash the party."

Matt scoffed from beside Evanna,"So don't."

"No, it's, it's okay. Hi." Caroline smiled.

Tyler took her hand,"Can I talk to you for a sec? It's kind of important."

Evanna pouted and looked at Matt when they left,"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I want her to be happy you know. It's what I want for all of you guys, in the middle of this crazy life we got stuck living."

Elena frowned,"Is that how you see it? That we're stuck?"

"I'd say it's attached itself to you all pretty tight, yeah."

The four of them decided to split up when they went looking for Caroline after a little while. Meredith and Elena went one way and Evanna and Matt went the other way.

"Caroline!" Matt yelled into the sky.

"Great, we've been abandoned." Evanna grumbled,"Okay we're going on a search party, I don't trust that she won't get back together with him."

"Caroline!" Matt yelled again.

"Yeah, come on, Caroline! We don't have anymore drinks! Matt's being haunted by the Fell ghosts." Evanna poked out her tongue and nudged him.

He chuckled and nudged her back. Suddenly, he dropped to the ground, unconscious.

"Stefan! Not cool!"

"You need to come with me."

"No, because you're mean!"

Stefan raised an eyebrow, regarding her in surprise,"Are you drunk?"

"Supremely."

* * *

Stefan had picked Evanna up and brought her to the boarding house. He had her in the basement and had locked the door, keeping both of them inside.

"What are you doing?"

"I have a plan. I just need to wait until Damon calls you."

"Mind sharing the plan?" Evanna asked, sliding down the wall, sitting with her knees to her chest.

"Nope."

"You would have this time last year..." Evanna pointed out.

"Well, this isn't last year."

Evanna pulled a face at him in reply. He cocked his head.

"How much have you had to drink?"

"Half a bottle of tequila... and the rest."

"You're going to be severely hungover tomorrow."

"I know. What the hell, though? This is the first time in a long time that I'm relaxed."

Stefan hesitated and then sat down in front of her,"You're not going to like this plan."

"Try me."

"I need to send a message to Klaus. And I need to use you. I'm gonna feed you my blood and I'm gonna threaten to turn you."

Evanna tensed,"But you won't actually...?"

"No, I won't. Klaus'll cave before it comes to that."

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

"Because things are different now."

"But they don't have to be, Stefan. Things can go back to normal."

"They'll never be normal."

"Okay, I get your point. But, it can be a _new _normal."

"Even after everything, you think Elena, and the others, would just accept me back?"

"Yes! We're your friends, it's what we do."

"You're drunk. You don't know what you're saying."

"Ugh! Stefan!" Evanna exclaimed in frustration. She was about to finish her sentence when her phone began to ring,"It's Damon."

"Give me the phone."

Evanna shrugged and tossed it to him.

"Hello Damon, she's a little busy right now."

"Why the hell do you have Evanna's phone?"

"I'm making my next move. Let me ask you something. What will Klaus do if he can't make anymore hybrids?"

"Stefan, leave her out of this."

"I'll see you later, brother." Stefan hung up her phone then and she frowned. He looked back and explained,"Klaus will call next."

Evanna shrugged and went back to staring at the ceiling. Stefan chuckled quietly; he'd never seen her _this_ drunk.

* * *

"What now?" Klaus asked as Damon dragged him into an empty room,"You just pulled me away from a fascinating conversation about landscaping the Town Square."

"Stefan just grabbed Evanna."

"Well, he's getting desperate." Klaus quipped.

"He's gonna try and use her against you. Do what he says, get rid of your hybrids."

"Or what? Stefan won't kill her."

"You sure about that? He just tried to behead someone in the middle of a council party. He's operating on crazy right now."

"Well, crazy or not. He still won't kill her."

"Maybe he is, maybe he isn't but if you don't want to believe him, believe me. I know my brother better than anyone and right now I don't have a clue how far he is willing to take this. So if he says blink, I suggest you _blink_."

* * *

When Matt had woken up, he had set off searching for the girls. They found Caroline, and that's what led Matt to carrying her up to her house.

"Sheriff Forbes!"

"Oh, my God! What happened?"

"Tyler bit her."

"Oh my god, sweet heart. Be careful." Liz advised as Matt set Caroline down on her bed,"Oh, honey. Caroline, honey, can you hear me?"

"I'm sorry, mom." Caroline cried weakly.

"She keeps hallucinating or something, I don't know. No one's picking up the phone."

"What exactly happened?"

"Tyler wanted to talk to her, so then the girls and I decided to go out looking for her when she didn't come back. I was knocked out by someone and when I woke up, Evanna was gone too. Elena and Meredith found Caroline and called me."

Caroline spiraled into a violent coughing fit and Liz smoothed back her hair.

"It's all right, sweetheart."

* * *

Stefan got fed up and decided to call Klaus himself.

"Stefan... how nice to hear your voice."

"Tell your hybrids to get out of town, Klaus."

"Well that's not gonna happen until I get my coffins back."

"Well then I'm gonna kill your blood source."

"You won't kill her."

"You're right, I won't. But good luck making your hybrids when your electi's a vampire." Stefan sped over to Evanna and fed her his blood. The sound of Evanna coughing and spluttering set Klaus on edge finally.

"She won't let you kill her, Stefan! She'll fight back."

"She can't even tell left from right, right now, Klaus. She's drunk. Drunk witches are always the most vulnerable."

"You won't do it."

Stefan pulled Evanna up and tugged her hair to expose her neck as Evanna let out a whimper,"Try me, Klaus."

Stefan heard Klaus hesitate so he sank his teeth into Evanna's neck, emitting a scream from her.

"Okay, fine! You win, Stefan! I'll send them away."

"Pleasure doing business with you, Klaus." He hung up and held Evanna's phone out to her.

Evanna glared at him, her hand covering the bleeding wound as she winced,"Did you really have to bite me?"

Stefan shrugged,"I was hungry and Klaus was pushing."

"Dick."

* * *

Matt approached the door after hearing the bell ring out and pulled it open.

Klaus raised an eyebrow,"Tyler came to see me. Poor boy, he seemed quiet distressed, he said Caroline had a terrible accident."

"You made him do this to her. He would have never done something like this."

"I'm here to help, Matt. My blood will heal her, please ask the sheriff to invite me inside."

"I know how this game works," Liz said,"You want something in return."

"Just your support."

Liz took a deep breath,"Come in."

Caroline looked up when Klaus entered her room,"Are you gonna kill me?"

He perched on the edge of her bed,"On your birthday? You really think that low of me?"

"Yes." She replied simply.

Klaus pursed his lips and looked at her bite mark,"It looks bad. My apologies, you're what's known as collateral damages, it's nothing personal. I love birthdays."

"Yeah. Aren't you like...a billion, or something?"

Klaus chuckled,"Well you have to adjust your perception of time when you become a vampire, Caroline. Celebrate the fact that you're no longer bound by trivial human conventions. You're free."

"No, I'm dying."

"And I could let you die, if that's what you want. If you really believe your existence has no meaning. I thought about it myself, once or twice, over the centuries, truth will be told. But I'll let you in on a little secret. There is a whole world out there, waiting for you. Great cities and art and music, genuine beauty. And you can have all of it. You can have a thousand more birthdays. All you have to do is ask."

"I don't wanna die." She admitted in a small voice.

Klaus lifted up her head and pulled down his sleeve, offering her his wrist.

"There you go, sweet heart. Have at it."

Caroline hesitated for a second, before vamping out and biting him.

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

* * *

Evanna got home at around midnight and walked up the steps. She'd sobered up quite a bit by that time and was _not _looking forward to the hangover ahead.

"Thanks for driving me home." Evanna said to Damon as he stepped onto the porch with her.

"Anytime. You gonna be okay?"

"No, my head and neck are gonna hurt like bitches tomorrow, but..." She shrugged,"I'll survive."

"You know Stefan won this round for us today. He pushed Klaus at the edge and Klaus blinked."

"His method sucked. I was having fun."

"Still, we needed it. Klaus has been calling all the shots and Stefan beat him at his own game. He was the better villain."

"Ugh, don't sound so impressed."

"Well, I can't help but be a little proud."

Evanna rolled her eyes, and then winced,"Ow."

Damon gently pushed her hair back, tilting her head to inspect the bite,"I can give you some of my blood."

"No, it's fine. Just stings a little. It's nothing compared to the hangover I'm gonna have in the morning." Evanna groaned, massaging her temples,"Why did I go for that second bottle of tequila? I make bad decisions..."

Damon chuckled softly. He wanted to talk to her about what had transpired between them the night before, but she was _not _ in the right state for that.

Instead, he took her keys from her and took her hand, leading her inside.

"What are you doing?"

"Sh," He set a finger on her lips,"Don't talk. Just let someone take care of you for once."

* * *

Damon watched her sleep, gently caressing her cheek. She looked so peaceful, curled up, her eyelids flickering as she dreamed.

Once she gave in and ended her stubborn claim she could take care of herself, Evanna had allowed him to take care of her, and he had liked that. It meant she trusted him enough to let herself be somewhat vulnerable around him.

Evanna had tied her hair to one side, and silently let him clean her wound and dress it. She had remained still, but the slight shiver that ran up her spine was the only indication he needed that his touch affected her just like hers did to him, and she followed the trail of goosebumps that rose on her forearm, refusing to meet his eyes.

Evanna had also silently asked him to stay with her while she fell asleep, by reaching out and taking his hand.

Glancing at the clock, he realized it was passed one in the morning and reaching over hesitantly, he placed a kiss on her forehead, pushing a strand of hair from her face and stroking her cheek one last time before getting up, and leaving the Gilbert house knowing that the likelihood of her remembering the little details that now meant so much to him were slim to none.


	12. Chapter 12

**Vampire Diaries**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Evanna woke up feeling worse than ever.

Not so much with the hangover, per say, but because today was the day Jeremy left for Denver. She took two aspirin and they (thankfully) got to work quickly. She'd gotten lucky as her hangover wasn't too bad. The aspirin took away the headache and all that was left was the queasy stomach.

Evanna hugged Jeremy goodbye sadly, and stepped back as Elena moved forward and hugged her brother tightly.

"You're gonna have to let me go, eventually, sis." Jeremy chuckled, giving Elena a squeeze.

"Be safe, okay?"

"Yeah. You guys too, alright. Alaric's waiting."

"Bye." Evanna pouted, giving a little wave.

They waved him off and closed the door. Soon after, Elena went to go meet Matt and Evanna climbed back into bed.

There was no way she'd be productive before noon.

* * *

Alaric went to the bar after dropping Jeremy off at the airport.

Abby slid in beside him,"Oh good, another day drinker. I lost a patient, what's your excuse?"

"I put a kid on a plane."

"Yours?"

"Uh, kinda. It's a long story."

"Then I should probably get some beer."

* * *

Damon arrived at the crime scene that Liz had called him to and met up with her by the yellow tape.

"A hiker called it in." Liz explained immediately,"My guys got here first."

"Another hybrid?"

"That's what I thought at first. Brian Walters, the medical examiner."

"What's with the stake?" Damon narrowed his eyes,"He's not a vampire."

"I know. This was murder."

* * *

_Evanna was back in the witch house, staring at the coffin._

_"I figured out how to open it. Can you?" Klaus asked from behind her, grabbing her and sinking his teeth into her neck. Evanna woke up and realized she was now in the coffin. She began to panic as her claustrophobia began to creep up on her._

_"Let me out! Please! Oh my god, oh my god! Fes matos tribum, melan veras, et vasa quisa, exu quisa!"_

_Evanna stopped, hearing footsteps outside of the coffin._

_"Help!"_

_The coffin opened and a woman stared down at her._

Evanna shot up in bed, drawing as much oxygen into her lungs as she could.

"I've been having these dreams for days now. It's like the witches are trying to send me a message." Evanna told her Grams as they stood in front of the coffin later on in the day.

"So, these are Klaus's family members?"

"Mmhmm. Elijah and two others, and then this one. Why won't it open? I mean, we've tried everything."

"What are you two doing here?" Stefan asked as he walked in behind them.

"We need to open the coffin."

"Why? We don't need them anymore. Klaus agreed to call off his hybrids."

Sheila frowned,"He did?"

Evanna grimaced,"It was a ... process. Wait, why are you here?"

"Guilty." Stefan held up his hands,"I'm curious."

Sheila stood up and took a deep breath,"What if it needs more power than just two witches?"

Evanna frowned,"But... you and I are the only witches in town."

Sheila nodded,"Honey..."

Slowly, realization hit her and Evanna's eyes widened.

"No!"

* * *

Meredith and Elena heard about the new plan and decided to help out.

They were getting Liz's help and promised to meet back at the Gilbert house.

"Do we really have to?" Evanna grumbled, letting her head fall onto the table's surface.

"You were the one intent on opening the coffin, sweetie."

"But, Grams. She left seven years ago and we got one phone call a month after she left. One! If she's so intent on staying gone, let's leave her."

"Honey," Sheila set a hand on Evanna's cheek,"I know you have a lot of pent up anger towards Monica, but we need her help. Do you want things to stay like this forever?"

Evanna sighed,"No. Fine, we'll look for her. But I'm not gonna like it."

"Los Alamitos?"

Sheila looked at the file Elena was holding up,"Too old. She would be thirty five by now."

"Honolulu?" Suggested Meredith.

Evanna groaned and took the page,"I wish. Can't we just pretend this is her?"

Sheila laughed,"No."

Evanna pouted and looked at all the pages scattered on the table,"How many of these are there?"

"A lot." Meredith answered,"We asked Sheriff Forbes to pull up every _Monica Bennett_ in the country."

"Thanks for helping us, you guys. I know things have been... different and I've really been MIA in the friend department."

"Hey," Elena consoled,"We all have. But there's nothing more important than helping you, Ava."

"Okay, don't get cheesy." Evanna said making all of them laugh. Evanna bit the inside of her lip, looking over another profile,"It's surreal. Having to track down a woman, who bailed on her own family. Still, I knew it'd happen sometime."

"Might be sooner than you thought." Damon's voice came through as he walked into join them.

Evanna took a deep breath and stood up, crossing her arms over herself. She remembered certain things like the night before; like him taking care of her, and him stroking the back of her hand with his thumb as she fell asleep, but everything else was still blurry.

"What do you mean?" Meredith questioned as he waved a file.

"Monica Bennett-Keaton, Monroe, North Carolina. Born in Mystic Falls Hospital, graduated at Mystic Falls High... blah blah blah." He handed Sheila the file and she nodded.

"It's her."

"Yep. Road trip. I call shotgun."

Evanna began gathering up the other files that lay on the table,"Yeah, no."

Damon slipped into the space between her and the table,"Why? You want me to hang in the back with you?"

"You're not coming, Damon." Elena said firmly, making him frown.

"Why? I found her."

Meredith took over as Elena and Sheila walked out,"Sheila and Evanna haven't seen Monica for seven years. We don't need your snarky commentary narrating the experience."

Damon rolled his eyes at her and turned back to Evanna. He knew by her heartbeat that he was making her nervous, and he tilted his head and gave her his best puppy dog look.

Meredith narrowed her eyes suspiciously,"What's going on with you two?"

Damon took a deep breath and turned around.

"We kissed. Now it's weird." He sent a dazzling smile Evanna's way,"Have a great trip."

* * *

The awkward silence in the car was excruciating.

Blissfully unaware, Elena and Sheila easily conversed in the front, while Evanna faced Meredith's accusing eyes in the back. As soon as Elena and Sheila headed into a convenient store to satisfy their sugar cravings, Meredith opened her mouth to launch her interrogation.

"I'm not talking about it." Evanna cut her off simply, shattering the silence.

"Come on!" Meredith exclaimed,"Why not?!"

"What's there to talk about? He kissed me, it'll never happen again."

"You know," Meredith began, tapping her chin lightly,"I'm surprised. For someone who spends so much time deflecting _any _kind of romantic connection, you're pretty calm."

Evanna shrugged,"Not on the inside. I thought, the first time, that it was a fluke, but -"

"Woah! Hold up! The first time?!"

Evanna smacked herself in the face,"Ugh! What is my damage? Has my foot taken a permanent vacation in my mouth? Is it paying rent - what is this?"

"When did this happen?!"

"Founder's Day." Evanna revealed,"But it was a one time thing."

"Yeah, _was._" Meredith laughed. She then wriggled her eyebrows and smirked,"Was it _good_?"

"I'm not answering that."

Meredith let out a loud laugh,"That means it was!"

"I ... no comment. Just... don't tell anyone about this, okay?"

Meredith sighed,"Promise. Am I the only one who knows about these... _instances_?"

"Stefan knows about Founder's Day. So does Katherine, actually. But you're the only one who knows about the night before last, and let's keep it that way. Grams and Lena are coming back."

Just as she buckled herself in, Elena's phone rang and she frowned at the caller ID as Sheila started up the engine again.

"It's Stefan. I told him I'd call when we got the address."

"Ignore it!" Meredith exclaimed, as they turned onto yet another highway.

"He'll just keep ringing until I answer."

Evanna nodded,"Go for it."

Elena pressed the answer button and raised her phone to her ear,"What?"

"Where are you?"

"In Evanna's car. We're on our way to the lake house." Elena lied, causing everyone to look at her oddly,"We're gonna spend the night there until Sheriff Forbes finds new addresses."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"No, Stefan, I'm not. We need a night off from your insanity."

"Klaus is getting antsy. He knows that I'm stalling. We need to move faster."

"Well, we're doing everything we can. So, could you maybe not call every five minutes?"

"Sure, Elena, whatever you say."

* * *

"Cute house." Meredith commented as they pulled up outside.

"In the middle of nowhere." Evanna noticed, climbing out of her car.

"You two ready?" Elena asked, addressing Sheila and Evanna.

"As we'll ever be, dear."

Evanna led the way and pressed the doorbell. They heard it ring inside, but no one came to the door.

"Oh, looks like she's not home. Let's go." Evanna walked away, but Elena grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Um, hi. Can I help you?" They turned to see a boy about their age walking up the steps.

"Hi," Meredith smiled,"We're looking for Monica Keaton."

"She's not home. Something I can do for you?"

"Nope, we can come back." Evanna quipped, moving away again.

The boy's eyes moved from her to Sheila,"I'm sorry, you both look so familiar."

Sheila nodded,"I'm Monica's mother, and this is her niece."

"Oh... I'm Jamie. You guys want to come inside? Right this way."

* * *

Jamie handed Sheila a glass of water and sat down.

"So, are we... like related?" Evanna asked, the confusion clear on her face. This kid must have been her age, and Monica definitely didn't have any kids when she had left.

"Oh, no. Monica is not my mom."

"And _now _it makes sense."

"Yeah, she dated my old man back in the day. He's kind of a deadbeat, so when they broke up she took me in. Put me through school. Didn't freak out when I totaled her car. Twice."

Meredith snorted,"You totaled a car twice? Are you sure you're not related to Evanna?"

"You're hilarious, Mere."

"Jamie?" A voice called,"Who's car is out front?"

"That would be mine."

Monica stared at her in shock and Evanna smiled sarcastically.

"What's up, _Auntie_?"

* * *

The awkward silence was broken when the door opened again and a little boy around eight ran in. He was about to say something, noticed the visitors and became shy.

"Um, this is Jamie's little brother, Jackson. Honey, this is my mother and my niece."

Evanna felt all the anger wash out of her as she bent down in front of Jackson and held out her hand,"Hi, Jackson. I'm Evanna."

"You're pretty." He said, shaking her hand.

Evanna giggled,"Thank you."

"Jackson, why don't you go upstairs and get a start on your homework?"

They watched Jackson run upstairs, Jamie following, and Evanna straightened up again,"Cute kid."

"Uh, Elena and I will wait outside while you three talk."

Meredith and Elena walked out of the house then, leaving the three generations of Bennett alone.

Monica took a deep breath,"I'm sorry I didn't come back for Miranda and Grayson's funeral. Jackson was sick."

"Understandable." Evanna nodded,"What's your excuse for the other six years and 364 days?"

"I had to leave Mystic Falls. Seven years ago, a vampire came to town. Looking for you, Evanna. Looking for the electi. No one could manage to kill him. So, I lured him out of town and cast a spell to desiccate him in a crypt in Charlotte."

"Mikael. He was an original vampire." Sheila elaborated and Monica sighed.

"It took every ounce of power I had. Almost killed me. I recovered. But my magic didn't. My powers never came back."

"And neither did you."

Monica looked back at Evanna,"It wasn't that simple."

"It wasn't? You cast a spell, put Mikael down and that was it. Maybe this was a mistake."

"Honey..." Sheila began.

"Grams, she doesn't even have powers anymore. She can't help us."

* * *

Sheila went out to check on the other two girls, leaving Evanna and Monica alone.

"You've grown into such a beautiful young woman, Evanna."

"Please, just stop with the muffins and the compliments. I just wanna know the truth... why didn't you come home?"

"I had no magic. I was in a new city and I realized I had a chance to be somebody else. To be Monica Keaton, the woman... not Monica Bennett, the witch. I'm not proud of what I did, Evanna. I ran. I know I ran. But you had your family and your Grams, and, let's face it, your Grams is way better at this stuff then I am."

"You were my aunt. I spent most of my time with you and suddenly you're gone. I've wished to be a normal girl thousands of times but I've never _stopped _being a witch. Even when it led me into some pretty messed up crap."

"You're brave. You always have been." Monica smiled,"So, ready to tell me what it was that brought you here?"

"It was a dream, actually. Grams thought you might be able to help us, but if you don't have any magic, it's..."

"Not spells, no. But... I'm not completely useless. I mean, the earth still provides herbs and such. There might be something I can do."

"I don't think so."

"Evanna, please. Let me help you."

* * *

Sheila arrived at the barn just after Stefan did.

"Hey, Elena." He smiled,"Nice lake house. So, what did you think, I wouldn't find it out?"

"Honestly, I didn't care. You can't do whatever you want anymore, Stefan."

He kicked a chair over and ran a hand through his hair,"Damn it, Elena!"

Jamie entered the barn then,"Hey! Everything alright out here?"

"Hey, Jamie, go back inside, okay? Please, trust me, it's better off for you there." Sheila advised.

"I don't think so."

"I'd listen to her. Get back inside, man."

"I said, I don't think so."

Stefan rushed over to him, grabbed him by the throat and compelled him,"Go back inside, before I tear your damn throat out. Do you understand me?"

Stefan let go of him and Meredith glared over at Stefan,"I don't think you've realized how bad you've gotten!"

"It's the way it has to be, Meredith."

Elena scoffed,"Right, out villain the villain. I get it."

Jamie walked back in, which surprised them all. What was more surprising was that he had a gun.

"Jamie," Sheila began,"What are you doing?"

"What I was told to do. He's not supposed to be here."

"Elena, he's compelled." Stefan said, before Jamie took aim and shot him several times with wooden bullets.

Inside the house, Evanna heard the gunshot and darted for the door,"What was that?"

Monica took some herbs from her pocket and stunned Evanna with them, and caught the girl when she fell unconscious.

* * *

"What are you doing here?"

Damon shrugged, watching Alaric train,"Looking for a bunny. You'll do."

"Are you still obsessed with Abby? I mean, don't you have an original vampire to care about?"

"Ah ah ah, do ten more of those. You're gonna wanna buff up, if you start hanging with this one. Self-defense and all."

"What's your problem with Abby? She didn't kill Brian."

Damon grabbed the punching bag and stopped it,"My problem is that your doctor vervained me and then she bloodjacked me."

"What? I mean, when did you even see her?"

"When I went to the hospital to accuse her of killing her ex-boyfriend. Which by the way, very sensitive subject."

"Damon, what the hell are you doing?"

"Why are you mad at me?"

"I told you I'd handle this."

"I proved your theory... diagnosed psycho case. You're welcome."

* * *

Monica brought Jackson over to their next door neighbors and came up with an emergency.

They promised to mind Jackson until she came back. Monica carried Evanna's unconscious form to the car, got in and drove. She drove to where the hybrid had told her to and saw him standing by his car,"So?"

"She didn't tell me where the coffins were. The vampire showed up."

"Did Jamie take care of him?"

Evanna began to stir, her eyes opening again.

"He did. But she's not gonna talk now. There's no way. I tried."

"Well, you should try again."

Evanna climbed out of the car then, folding her arms,"Where are the others?"

"They're safe." Monica promised.

"What did you do to me, Monica?" Evanna's eyes flashed dangerously.

"You'll be fine. But don't try any spells. Those herbs I used muted your magic."

"As if things weren't bad enough between us." Evanna turned to the hybrid,"I'm not gonna help you."

"Then I'll kill you."

"No you won't." Evanna rolled her eyes,""You're loyal to Klaus and he needs me alive."

"Evanna, please." Monica began,"I need your help here."

"That's nice. We all need things. Most people, however, don't go about asking favors by knocking people _unconscious._"

"He compelled Jamie to kill himself." Monica explained desperately, taking out her phone and punching in a text,"All you need to do, is tell me where they are. Then we'll have held up our end of the bargain."

Evanna narrowed her eyes, blinking stoically at the phone.

"Evanna, _please_. "

Rolling her eyes, the short brunette snatched the phone and tilted her head to one side, confused. She had thought Monica wanted her to write down the location. Instead, a message was written _to _her.

_Warn your friends._

* * *

"Jamie, please." Elena began,"Just let us go."

"No! Please don't do anything. Look, I don't know why I shot him, I don't know why I'm holding this gun, but if you move or do anything, I will shoot him again."

"Okay, we won't." Elena held up a hand to calm him,"Who gave you that gun?"

"A man came by earlier today, he gave me a wooden buckshot and told me if anyone got in our way, I'm supposed to shoot him."

Meredith frowned,"What else did he say?"

"If Monica didn't find the location of some coffins, I'm supposed to shoot myself."

"Did he say anything about my granddaughter?" Sheila questioned worriedly.

"I wasn't supposed to hurt her no matter what."

"Well, did he specify what type of hurt?" Meredith asked, catching a loophole.

"No."

"Then you should know that Stefan is Elena's boyfriend. Hurting him hurts Elena, and hurting Elena hurts Evanna."

Jamie lowered the gun,"That's right. Thank you."

Elena rushed over to Stefan and Sheila muttered a sleeping spell over Jamie to ensure his safety.

"What can I do to help?" Elena asked Stefan as he groaned when she touched him.

"Every time I move, the wood shifts inside of me. I can feel it scraping against my heart. You need to get the pieces out."

* * *

"What took you so long? Hiding behind your witchy friends. And in squalor no less."

Damon looked up to see Klaus stepping off the last step into the basement. Suddenly, Klaus was hit with blinding pain and Damon smirked.

"Insulting a bunch of dead witches... not smart. I made the exact same mistake first time I came in here."

"Well, you know, the funny thing about witches is, that living or death, they care about their own. A hundred dead witches have a thousand living descendants... And I have no problem, killing every last one of them, if I don't get my coffins back. As we speak, my hybrid friend is prepared to kill two members of the Bennett line."

The witches stopped hurting Klaus then and he grinned,"Now... please... show me the coffins."

Damon watched as the witches unveiled three of the coffins.

"Here we are. Where's the fourth? Show me!"

"That's the thing." Damon began,"It's not here."

"What did you do?"

"Well, Evanna gave me the heads-up. I didn't have enough time to get all four, but I did have time to get one."

"I will tear you, limb from limb. And only then, when you're a riving mass of blood and flesh, will I rip your heart from your chest."

"Sorry. The same rules apply. You know, leverage and all. I know you want your family back. But something tells me, you want what's in that coffin a lot more."

* * *

"Want to tell me what you're up to?"

Abby looked up to see Alaric,"You talked to Damon."

"Yeah, I did."

"He wasn't supposed to wake up so soon. I used enough vervain to sedate him for hours."

"Well, he drinks it everyday to build up an immunity, so people like you don't get the jump on him. How did you even know he was a vampire?"

"Meredith's my cousin but she's also Evanna's best friend. I know they're involved in this and I've heard them talking."

"You mean you eavesdropped on them."

"I'm not crazy, Alaric."

"Really? Then what are you?"

Paramedics burst through the door then, wheeling in a familiar man.

"Wanna know what I am? Stick around."

"Is that Bill Forbes?"

* * *

"What happened to him?" Alaric asked, standing at the end of Bill's bed.

"He was found in the woods. An actual animal attack. Bite marks and gashes over half his body. Lost about three liters of blood."

"Is he gonna make it?"

"Nope." Abby shook her head,"At least, not on his own." She walked over and injected Damon's blood into Bill's IV drip.

"You wanna to know my secret? I cheat. I'm a doctor and I hate when people die. So when I have the ability to do something about it, I do."

* * *

"The other's are on their way." Evanna said, reading the text from Meredith,"Jamie's fine."

"You think the hybrid will come back?"

Evanna shook her head,"You kept your end of the bargain, Klaus will too. That's the only good thing about the Originals. When they make a promise, they keep it."

Monica shuffled awkwardly,"I'm sorry... for all of this."

"Don't even." Evanna rolled her eyes,"I didn't come here for some sappy reunion. I didn't even want to come here in the first place."

"I know you're angry at me."

"Angry is too loose a term. You have no idea what you put this family through. You weren't _there._ I _was._ So, no, I don't want an apology. I don't want sunshine or rainbows, I don't want to _catch up. _I had no choice but to come here because I've run out of every other possible option."

Monica sighed,"I can still help."

"You can't. You've no magic and I don't trust you."

"When I put Mikael down... my magic didn't just leave me. It drifted away. The longer I stayed away from you the weaker it gone. I think, that nature was punishing me for abandoning my family, abandoning you. Maybe you can help me get my magic back."

"I thought you didn't want it anymore."

"I don't. But if it's what you wanted... I would do that for you."

* * *

Tyler walked into Bill's hospital room, trying to quell his guilt. Bill had been trying to help him control the sire bond to Klaus and look where it got him.

"You're better."

"Yeah. I shouldn't be but I didn't have any say in the matter."

"I didn't mean to hurt you. I lost control. Again."

"I knew the risks when I decided to help you. So... was it worth it? How do you feel?"

"Different, but a lot more like myself."

"Then we'll continue tomorrow."

"What are you talking about? I turned."

"Once. To break the sire bound. Turning needs to be painless... and from what I saw today... we're still a long way off."

"I can't put myself through that again."

"You will. Because until you're capable of acting on your own free will, I'm not gonna let you anywhere near my daughter."

* * *

Klaus looked at the three coffins in the room. The hybrid next to him spoke,"You've got your family back. Finally. You gonna open them?"

"Not quite yet. I still have some unfinished business to take care of."

"What business?" The hybrid jerked making Klaus frown. He fell to the ground, dead, and Klaus looked up to see Elijah standing where the hybrid had been, holding his heart in his hand.

"So, Niklaus..."

"Elijah...?"

"What have I missed?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Vampire Diaries**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

"You look surprised to see me. So it wasn't you that removed the dagger from my chest?" Elijah continued.

"You look like you could do with a drink. And we have a lot to discuss, so shall we?"

Elijah attacked him. Klaus almost fell out of the now broken window, but he grabbed onto the pane and held himself inside,"Easy. I just finished renovating. You know you have every right to be mad at me. But I kept my word, I reunited you with our family."

Eijah attacked him again, shoving him against a coffin. Klaus opened it and undaggered their little brother, pushing Elijah off him.

"Don't make me do this to you again, Elijah!"

"Come on. Use it. I dare you. You'll have Kol to deal with."

"Mikael is dead."

"What did you say?"

"I killed him. With his own weapon. He's gone Elijah. Forever."

"Why do our family remain in these coffins? Finn for over 900 years, Kol for over a century."

"Because of Stefan Salvatore. He holds the one thing keeping me from freeing them. There are things that you do not know about our past, Elijah. Our mother's death. Things I never wanted you to know but I'm ready to tell you now. I only ask that you remember the oath of loyalty you once swore to me."

"What are you doing, Klaus?"

Klaus daggered Kol again and turned around.

"Always and forever. I need you to stand by my side. Be my brother. Help me destroy Stefan and I promise you our family will be whole again."

* * *

Despite wanting to avoid Monica as much as she could, Evanna went over to her grandmother's house after school because Jackson had asked her to.

Kids were her weak spot; so were cute, fluffy animals.

They were back in Mystic Falls for an unspecified amount of time.

Evanna was playing a game with Jackson when the doorbell rang.

"Sheriff Forbes, come in." She heard Sheila say.

"Sorry to barge in like this but Elena said Evanna was here."

Evanna stood up and looped a strand of hair around her ear,"Everything okay?"

"This is an unconventional conversation we're about to have. So I hope you'll protect me on it."

"Of course." Sheila nodded, earning nods from both Monica and Jamie too.

"I assume you both heard our medical examiner was murdered the night of the Wickery Bridge fundraiser."

"Yeah, Brian Walters." Evanna recalled,"Why?"

"We've been investigating. Someone drove this stake through his heart."

"One of ours." Evanna nodded,"Or, well, from Grayson's set."

"That's why I'm here. I haven't told anyone but forensics ran it for prints and found only one clean set." Liz took a deep breath and turned to Evanna,"Yours."

"What?!"

* * *

Damon walked through a meadow in the woods as he listened to what Evanna was telling him over the phone.

"So, you're the prime suspect?"

"She doesn't think that I did it. She's just tryin' to find out why somebody used one of my family weapons to kill a council member." Evanna said, rolling the dice for Jackson's board game. He had roped her and Jamie into a game. Her phone lay on the coffee table, speaker on.

"Well, why don't you just ask Rick if that dirty little doctor had access to the weapons."

"You're on speaker phone, dick." Alaric said from behind Evanna. He'd come over as soon as she'd called him.

Evanna nudged him in the leg,"Language..."

"I'm just sayin', first suspects usually the right one." Damon chimed in.

"Brian Walters was killed days ago, right? I didn't show Abby this stuff until last night!"

"It wasn't Abby." Evanna added as Sheila and Monica came back in. Sheila handed Alaric his cup of tea, which he took graciously.

"But Brian Walters was her ex-boyfriend and Rick saw them fighting that night."

"Damon, it wasn't Abby. I refuse to believe that our track record with childhood friends is _that _tragic."

"Who else knows about your secret little slayer stash?"

"Who doesn't? Got weapons everywhere, here, the school, my loft, your car." Alaric replied to Damon.

"It's Klaus, it has to be, he's screwing with us."

"Uh, I hate to suggest it, but what if it was Stefan?" Evanna raised her hand,"He was crazy that night, and you know he was trying to get underneath Klaus's skin, he was capable of pretty much anything."

"Ahh, make's me nostalgic for the time that Stefan was a bunny snacking pacifist. Besides, Evanna, what can you remember from that night? Other than the word _tequila_."

"Thanks for revealing that to the whole room, Damon."

"No problem, honey. Anyway, gotta go. You'll know more later."

Alaric frowned,"Where are you?"

"Tea with an old friend. Bye."

* * *

In the meadow, Damon hung up and looked at the person before him,"Elijah, my favorite original, back from the dead. Clean up nice."

"You left something. In my jacket pocket." Elijah took out the note and Damon began reciting what he'd written.

"Oh yeah. '_Dear Elijah, let's get together, plot the destruction of your brother. XOXO' _-"

"Damon..." Elijah finished.

"Was I right to undagger you or are we gonna have a problem?"

"I'm here, let's talk."

"I'll start with an easy question, any idea what kind of Klaus killing weapon could be magically sealed in a mystery coffin?"

* * *

Monica, Evanna and Stefan were hurrying towards the old, secret Lockwood cellar where Damon had hidden the fourth coffin when Monica spoke.

"Slow down."

"Keep up," Stefan replied,"We don't have much time."

Evanna rolled her eyes at his attitude,"Sorry, Stefan. I didn't have a choice."

"It was a choice Evanna, you made it and now we have to live with it. You told Klaus where the coffins were and he took them. All of them except this one."

"That's the one that's sealed."

Stefan nodded, confirming Monica's assumption,"Yep. Fortunately it seems to be the one he cares about most."

Evanna headed into the cave and Monica followed, frowning when Stefan didn't follow,"Aren't you coming inside?"

"Vampire's can't enter. Damon had to compel a couple gardeners to get this in here."

"This is a bad idea." Monica stated, looking at the coffin.

"Look, if you're really the key to opening up that coffin, I think it's a pretty safe bet you're on Klaus's hit list. So I suggest you hideout here and figure out a way to open up the damn thing."

"I told you, I don't have any powers."

"And I don't believe you. The time's ticking. Won't be long, before Klaus calls his hybrids to find that coffin and kill all of us. So dig deep, Monica Bennett. Scrape out whatever magic you have left."

Evanna watched him turn and knew he was leaving,"Wait!"

"Yes?"

"Did you kill the medical examiner?"

"Why are you asking me that?"

"Because if you did, I'll kill you. My prints were the only ones found on the weapon."

"Hm, and have you asked Damon has he killed anyone lately? Of course not."

"Oh, don't try to guilt trip me, Stefan. It's not gonna work."

"Ugh, you sound like Lexi."

"I can act like her too, and bash your head through a car window. Don't tempt me, Stefan."

* * *

Evanna's phone rang about ten minutes later and she picked up,"Bonjour?"

"Bill is dead."

"Come again?"

She heard Elena take a deep breath,"Caroline and I went to the hospital to get him, found out he was discharged and did a little snooping on Abby. Caroline decided to call her father to see where he was and we heard his phone ringing in the supply closet. He was staked like Brian was."

It was then that Evanna heard Caroline's sobs in the background.

"Wait..." Evanna began,"Alaric said that Abby put vampire blood in his IV drip..."

"It's in his system." Elena realized,"I'll call you later."

* * *

Evanna ran a hand through her hair and sighed,"Another founding family member's been killed. Caroline's father."

"Are your prints on the weapon again?"

"It hasn't been tested because Elena and Caroline found him but I'd bet on it. We have to figure out who's killing them. We can add that to the list."

"Elena, Jeremy, Tyler, Caroline and yourself shouldn't be in the middle of it."

"We are by bloodline, there's no choice. Besides, I changed after you left. I stopped being vulnerable and became protective of the people I love."

"And Stefan and Damon are on that list?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Witches aren't supposed to get mixed up with vampires."

"Yeah, well, I did. And I'm glad I did. They're my friends."

"Even though Stefan is the way he is?"

"He wasn't always, and a part of him still loves Elena. It's not just him in trouble here; it's her, and it's Damon. Elena needs her boyfriend and Damon needs his brother."

"And you need to be safe."

"_I _can take care of myself."

"Your grandmother told me you and Damon are... close."

Evanna turned around,"Meaning...?"

"He protects you."

"He does. Our relationship - it's... complicated." Evanna looked at Monica's grimoire,"Is this the only grimoire you kept?"

"It was the only one I needed. So... what is all of this?" Monica asked, referring to the drawings on the wall.

"Family history. About a mother, who loved her children so much, she couldn't bear the thought she might lose them. So she turned them into vampires. One of them is Klaus."

"The one you're trying to kill with whatever is in that coffin?"

Evanna nodded,"There's nothing in here that's going to help us. I've seen most of these spells. What was this?" Evanna held up the grimoire to show Monica the demolished page.

"That was the spell I used to seal Mikael in the tomb. I burned it and tried to get it out of my head. Didn't work though. Wait... Do you see this?"

"It's a sealing spell. We're trying to open something... not seal it shut."

"No. Right here. On this side. It's a blood knot. It means, to bind it you need two generations. A bloodline. Like... two keys to a safety deposit box."

"So... unbinding it would reverse the spell. If we did it together..."

"We could unseal it."

* * *

Damon held up two of Stefan's shirts and grimaced as his little brother walked in.

"Get dressed. We're going out."

"Not interested." Stefan said.

"I didn't ask. Elijah and I have scheduled a very old fashion sit down with you and Klaus. I say go with the black. Makes you look all villainy."

"Klaus won't make a deal, Damon."

"He didn't have to. All we're doing is buying a little time to give our wicked witches a chance to pop-up the top of the coffin."

"So, that's your...uh...plan? Stall Klaus?"

"If you didn't go postal on his hybrids then maybe we'd have some options."

"So you unleashed an original to help him out?"

"Undaggering Elijah was smart, Stefan. You're kidding me? After what Klaus did to him? He's in vengeance mood. Perfect."

"There's nothing smart about trusting Elijah, Damon. He screwed us over the last time he promised to help us kill Klaus."

"Yeah, the way you've been acting I trust him about as much as I trust you."

"Hm. Well I guess that goes both ways, doesn't it?"

"Just get ready and get happy. We're going to negotiate a fake truce and I don't want your attitude screwing it up."

* * *

Elena ran a hand through her hair and stepped into Alaric's apartment. She saw all his weapons laid out on the table and frowned,"What are you doing?"

"Taking inventory. Did you bring it?"

"You mean, did I steal evidence from a crime scene? Yes."

Alaric took the stake from her and compared it to the others,"You're right. It's a match. This is from a crawl space in the foyer. Which means Abby knew where it was."

"That doesn't mean she stole it."

"This is from your house. These are from the duffel in Damon's car." Alaric explained, showing her the other stakes.

Elena frowned,"It's identical to the one used to kill Brian Walters."

"Damon's car was at the Wickery-Bridge fundraiser, so was Abby. And that was the night her ex-boyfriend, the medical examiner, was killed. The one who called her psycho."

"Well, she was trying to save Bill Forbes, why would she turn around and try to kill him?"

"I don't know what to think either. I know she's Meredith's cousin but... we'd be idiots to ignore all these facts."

"So, what should we do?"

"Well... get this to the police. Then you should probably be with Caroline."

"Okay. Be careful, Rick."

"You too."

* * *

"Niklaus, our guests have arrived."

Klaus walked into the foyer,"Damon. Stefan. Elijah tells me you seek an audience. Very bold. Let's discuss the terms of our agreement like civilized men, shall we?"

Elijah turned back to them,"It's better to indulge him."

"I didn't come here to eat, Klaus. Fact, I didn't want to come here at all. But I was told I had to cause you would hear us out." Stefan said.

"Well, we can sit and eat or I can reach down your throats and pull out your insides. The choice is yours."

* * *

Evanna read the message from Elena on her phone and sighed.

"What's wrong?"

Evanna looked at Monica sadly,"Bill refuses to transition. He wants to die and he's pretty set in his ways."

"Poor Caroline."

"Can we just do the spell again so I can get over there?"

"Sure." Monica held out her hands and Evanna took them.

After a minute of trying, Evanna got frustrated,"You're not trying! We've been at this for over an hour."

"The spirits are angry with me. For leaving you, leaving the family. Maybe they didn't want me to have my powers again."

"I had all of those dreams for a reason. The spirits wanted me to find you because you're my family. It's not them, it's you. You won't open yourself up to it. You know, my mom never talked about you? And neither did Grams. You know what I used to do? I used to pretend you didn't exist! It was easier to do that than to wonder why you never came back to us."

"There is no way I can tell you how sorry I am for what I did."

"Yes, there is." Evanna said firmly,"You can help me."

The candles flared up as they did the spell, and when they finished chanting, Evanna tried to open it again.

"It's still stuck. It almost worked. I have to call Damon, tell him that we're getting closer."

"I can call your grandmother. Go, be with Caroline."

Evanna looked back at her for a second before turning and hurrying out of the cellar.

Monica watched her go. Something made a sound behind her and she turned around. The coffin opened itself and Monica gasped, stumbling backwards.

* * *

After Evanna had texted Damon, she drove straight to Caroline's.

She saw Meredith, Matt and Elena sitting with the blonde on the porch steps and gave Caroline a soft smile.

Caroline flew off the steps and into her arms, crying into her shoulder.

* * *

Damon got the text and returned to dinner. It had been going alright. Sure, there'd been some tense moments but so far, so good.

"So, why don't we move this evening along and discuss the terms of this proposal?" Elijah asked, setting down his wine.

"That's very simple. Klaus gets his coffin back, in exchange, he and the Original extended family leave Mystic Falls forever. Me, Stefan, and Evanna live happily ever after. No grudges."

Elijah looked at his brother,"The deal sounds fair, brother."

"I don't think you understand, Evanna's electi blood insures that I will always have more hybrids to fight those that oppose me. I will never leave her behind." Klaus stood up and began to pace in front of them,"Let's say I do leave her here, under your protection, what then? Stefan, you're her best friend and Damon, you're in love with her. What happens if one of you turn her? Or worse, what if she dies? You see, each one of you truly believes that you can protect her, and that is simply a delusion. Gentlemen, the worst thing for Evanna Gilbert is... the two of you."

Damon stood up then and began walking out,"I'm gonna get some air."

Elijah set a hand on his brother's arm and followed Damon out,"Let me deal with this."

"All this talk has made me thirsty." Klaus said as a blonde girl walked up and stood beside him. He tilted her neck and bit into her, looking up at Stefan.

"What do you say Stefan, can I interest you in a little after dinner drink?"

* * *

Caroline went to spend as much time with her father as she could, Elena and Meredith decided to go the Grill and wait for the inevitable news but Evanna just wanted to go home. Matt had used her car to drive them back to Evanna's house and walked her inside, choosing to take the offer of staying for a while.

"Thanks for bringing me home, Mattie."

"Are you doing okay? I heard about Monica being back, that's gotta bring up a lot for you."

"We need her help. My personal feelings have no matter in the situation. We've all lost a lot."

"It's this town, it's messed up. None of us should have to live this way."

Evanna unlocked the front door and tried to flipped the light switch. The house stayed in the darkness, making both of them frown.

"That's weird." Evanna said as Matt nodded.

"Electricity must be out."

Evanna led him into the kitchen and pulled two flashlights from the drawer, handing Matt one and turning her's on.

"I think I have some candles over there." Evanna remembered, walking around the counter. She gasped and froze when she saw the puddle of blood there,"Oh, my God!"

"What the hell?"

Evanna moved her flashlight beam back into the hallway where they saw bloody hand prints pointing towards the direction of the stairway.

"Matt?" Evanna called, and nodded towards the hand prints.

She grabbed a steak knife and handed it to him, setting off into the hallway.

The bloody hand prints led up the stairs and Evanna ascended them slowly, careful not to trip in the darkness.

"Oh, my God! Rick!"

She slid to her knees beside him, Matt right behind her. Matt immediately pulled out his phone and dialed 9-1-1 as Evanna's hands hovered over the stake protruding from Alaric's chest. She put her hands on the stake and that's when Alaric woke up, screaming in pain.

"No, leave it in! Leave it in! He's lost too much blood. I'm gonna call 911."

Evanna nodded and grabbed Alaric's face, making him look at her,"Rick, look at me. Who did this to you?"

"I don't know."

Evanna looked back at the wound,"There's a lot of blood, Matt."

"I know, I know."

"You have to kill me."

Evanna paled,"What?"

"Evanna, you - you have to kill me."

"Wait, wait, wait, Matt, hang up, hang up. He's right. If he dies a supernatural death, then he'll come back to life and he'll be healed. "

Matt hung down and bent down beside her,"But how do you know this is supernatural?"

Evanna took a deep breath,"We don't, but ... I'm a witch. That makes me, by defenition, supernatural."

"Evanna, no! This is too messed up!"

"He's dying, Matt! I have no choice."

Evanna grabbed the knife she'd given Matt and took a deep breath.

Then, she plunged it into Alaric's chest.

* * *

"Delicious," Klaus beamed,"Aged to perfection."

"Well, I guess the only reason you agreed to this evening, Klaus, is to drive a wedge between me and my brother."

"Oh no, you're doing that well enough on your own."

Damon and Elijah re-joined them then and each stood beside their brothers.

"What do you say, Klaus?" Damon asked,"It's time for you to put something on the table. We've made our offer, now you counter."

"Okay. I offer Evanna's future happiness. You see, what she needs right now is to be rid of you lot. And to fall in love with a human, maybe that nice football player, you know the blonde one?"

Damon narrowed his eyes,"Matt Donovan? Really?"

"Yeah, why not? They'll marry, live a long and fruitful life, and pop out a perfect family."

"And continue the Bennett line. Every thousand years, you'll have a new electi to drain and you'll never run out of hybrids." Stefan realized, raising an eyebrow.

"Consider it a small return on my investment in her well being. See after you hand me back the coffin, I'll ensure her safety for the rest of her natural life, you know it's what's best for her."

Klaus offered,"So, what do you say, Stefan? Do we have a deal?"

Stefan considered it and glanced at his brother. He knew what he had to do. He stepped forward and took Klaus's offered handshake.

Damon furrowed his eyebrows,"What are you doing?"

"Nice try, Klaus." Stefan began,"But no deal."

Klaus broke Stefan's arm. He kicked his leg and broke it as well. He pushed his hand into the fireplace, and Stefan started to burn. Damon attempted to rush over to him, but Elijah pushed him against the wall.

"What are you doing?" Damon got out through gritted teeth.

He looked away from Elijah and saw that Stefan's hand was now badly burnt,"Stop!"

"Now, bring me my coffin before I burn him alive."

"I'll get it."

Klaus nodded at Elijah,"Go with him, brother, you keep him honest. And when you return, I will make good on my promise to you and I will hand over our family."

"Go ahead and kill me, I know you'll do it when he brings the coffin."

Klaus pulled Stefan out of the fire and grabbed his shoulders,"You really have given up, haven't you? Where's the fight? Where's the ripper?"

He pushed Stefan, who pushed back straight away. Elijah and Damon walked back in and Klaus frowned.

"Elijah... why haven't you left?"

"Where are you manners, brother? We forgot dessert." Elijah took the cover off the plate the girl was holding and revealed two silver daggers to his brother.

Klaus froze,"What have you done?"

"What have you done? You see I've learned not to trust your vulgar promises, Klaus. We're doing this on my terms now."

Behind him, Kol entered the room.

"Kol..."

"Long time, brother."

Klaus began to back away, but Finn appeared in front of him. He grabbed a dagger and stabbed Klaus through the hand with it.

"Finn, don't!" Klaus screamed.

Klaus moved away from his brother and turned to see Rebekah walking in, still dressed in her homecoming dress.

"Rebekah...?"

Rebekah walked over and stabbed him in the stomach with the dagger,"This is for our mother."

Klaus fell back into Kol's arms and Kol used the opportunity to restrain Klaus.

Elijah turned to the Salvatore's.

"You're free to go. This is family business."

* * *

"He's still out?" Matt asked as he walked back upstairs.

Evanna nodded,"Caroline called. Her dad died. Mattie?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you stay with me? Until he wakes up?"

Matt sat down beside her and pulled her to his chest, rubbing her arm to generate warmth.

"Of course."

* * *

"Ah, you were right about Elijah. Undaggering him was a smart move."

"Wow, actual acknowledgement of a job well done. You're going soft, Stefan."

"So, I guess I shouldn't thank you for saving me from Klaus?"

"Shut up, you don't get to thank me until I pay you back for all those times you've saved me."

Stefan chuckled and Damon stopped walking, turning around,"Why didn't you make the deal? You only agreed to come tonight to end all this."

"You love her, Damon. And she deserves it. After everything, she still thinks I have a chance at being good again."

"Evanna's very forgiving."

"She's like a sister to me; willing to help but not afraid to call me an ass and threaten to bash my head through a window."

Damon snorted,"She didn't..."

"No, she did. But... despite what I did, she's still willing to let me near Elena. Considering how protective she is..."

"That's a good sign."

* * *

"I looked into it, Evanna. Abby Fell was called into surgery six hours ago. She's been in there ever since."

"She has an alibi..."

"Iron-tight in an operating room full of witnesses."

"Then who could it be?"

"I don't know." Liz answered honestly,"But the attack on Alaric makes this the third member of the Founder's Council and we just cleared our only suspect."

Evanna's shoulders slumped in disappointment and she hung up her phone. Out of nowhere, Alaric shot up, coughing and spluttering.

"Rick!" Evanna dropped down beside him as Matt ran back into the room.

"Oh, thank God." Matt said, running a hand down his face.

Evanna threw her arms around Alaric's neck and pulled him too her tightly.

"I do need to breathe, Evanna." He chuckled, but wrapped his arms around her back.

"Shut up and just hug me."

* * *

Damon and Stefan entered the cellar and shared a look at the eery silence.

"Evanna...?" Damon called into the cave.

"Damon, look." Stefan said, and pointed at a body on the ground.

"It's Monica. She's still breathing." Damon said,"Monica!"

Monica woke up, groaned and pushed herself to stand. She headed out to them and almost tripped but Stefan grabbed her and set her right again.

"Where's Evanna?"

"She, uh... she went to Caroline's. Caroline's dad died."

"And what happened here?" Stefan asked, looking back. He saw the coffin was open and raised an eyebrow,"You got it open."

"That's the thing, I didn't..."

* * *

"I like what you've done with the new place, Nik."

Rebekah said, picked up a vase and threw it against the wall, breaking both it and the painting it collided with.

"I wanted it to be for all of us. A place we could all call home. A place we could all be a family. None of us would ever have to be alone again."

"Well, you're right," Elijah said,"None of _us _will be."

Finn drained the last of a wine bottle,"You're staying behind, Nik."

"We're leaving you. Right after I kill that electi bitch, then you will be alone. Always and forever." Rebekah chimed sarcastically.

"If you run, I will hunt all of you down."

Elijah looked back at Klaus,"Then you'll become everything you hate. Our father."

"I'm the hybrid! I can't be killed! I have nothing to fear from any of you."

"You will when we have that coffin." Elijah said. Each of them turned around when they heard a door open.

Rebekah's eyes widened,"Mother..."

Esther walked towards Klaus, and stood in front of him as he refused to meet her eyes.

"Look at me! Do you know why I'm here?"

"You're here to kill me."

"Niklaus, you are my son and I am here to forgive you. I want us to be a family again."


	14. Chapter 14

**Vampire Diaries**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Here is the next chapter! I'm sorry if it's suckish, I'm not feeling great, but I wanted to get this chapter up today anyway for you guys. I hope you enjoy it, and I apologize for any mistakes. Reviews are my medicine! :)**

**Also, if any of you guys are on Tumblr, I just joined, so check me out. I am **_**ThatBrownEyedIrishGirl . tumblr . com **_** (remove spaces). **

* * *

"How's Alaric?" Evanna asked as she arrived at the hospital to pick up her cousin.

Elena and her began walking down the hallway later that night,"Resigned to spending the night in observation, so long as I promise to change the lock on the house. So I talked to Sheila earlier. She and Monica are fine. Have you talked to Caroline?"

"She's... coping."

"Any word on who's behind the attacks?"

Evanna shook her head as they headed into the parking lot,"No, Sheriff Forbes said there's no real suspects at all."

"Well, there has to be someone behind it."

Evanna nodded,"Just wish we knew who."

Suddenly, Evanna bumped into something that hadn't been there the second before.

"Walk much?"

"Rebekah..."

Rebekah grabbed Evanna and pushed her against the car,"Surprised? You drove a _dagger_ through my _back_, Evanna. It _hurt_."

Rebekah went for her neck, but Evanna gave her a headache and Rebekah backed off. Rebekah shook it off and lunged at her again, only to be slammed into the car beside Evanna's.

Elena ran to Evanna as they stared at the newcomer in shock.

"Elijah!"

"Leave."

Rebekah stepped up to Elijah and he tilted his head,"Are you challenging me?"

"You're pathetic. Both of you."

Rebekah sped off and Elijah turned around, a smile on his face.

"Evanna, Elena. I believe we have a little catching up to do."

* * *

"It was their mother Esther who was sealed in that coffin."

"As in the Original Witch?" Stefan asked, turning to look at Evanna. Damon, Elena, Evanna and himself were in the Gilbert kitchen early the next morning as Evanna had called as soon as she had woken up.

"What? How is she even alive? Thought her hybrid freak show of a son ripped her heart out a thousand years ago."

"I don't know." Evanna held up her hands,"I'm guessing she has a couple connections in the witching community. Elijah said that she wants to live in peace with her family, including Klaus."

"She was supposed to be the weapon to help us kill Klaus." Elena frowned.

"Well, not anymore. At least, not according to Elijah."

"That coffin was the only thing stopping Klaus from tearing us to shreds." Stefan reminded them, leaning forward on the counter.

Damon frowned and piped up,"Anyone else feeling a little used?"

"Look, Elijah promised me that his family wouldn't hurt any of us." Evanna said as Elena went to answer the doorbell,"I believe him."

"What's that?" Damon asked as Elena came in with two envelopes.

"Invitations for Evanna and I. '_Please join the Mikaelson Family, this evening at seven o'clock. For dancing, cocktails and celebration'._"

"Who the hell are the Mikaelsons?"

Evanna looked up from her invitation and answered Stefan as if it was the most obvious thing in the world,"The Original family."

"It's not bad enough they're moving into town, now they want a housewarming gift?" Damon scoffed as Evanna turned her invitation over.

"Wait, there's a note on mine. _'Evanna, I think it's time you and I finally meet, Esther.'_."

* * *

"If Esther wants to talk to me, maybe I should find out why." Evanna was reasoning not ten minutes later.

"Well that's a dumb idea, she already tried to kill you once."

"No, Evanna is right." Stefan said to his brother,"She was led to open that coffin for a reason. I think there is more to this than just some family reunion."

"Okay, can we go back to time where Stefan cared if Evanna lived or died?"

"What for, brother? It's your job now."

Elena rolled her eyes and turned to Evanna,"Mom was right when she said all men were immature no matter what their age."

Evanna giggled under her breath, making Elena grin. Evanna sobered up and returned back to the conversation,"Stefan has a point, Damon. I should find out what she wants."

"You against the Original family? I don't like those odds."

"Then we'll go with them." Stefan said,"It says plus one."

Damon plucked the invitation from Evanna's hands and read it before grinning at his little brother.

"And _now _you're talking..."

* * *

Caroline sat on her couch, listening to the voice mail left by Tyler.

"Caroline, it's Tyler. I know I should have called sooner, I just kinda freaked out and left. But I heard about your dad and I'm sorry. I'm really sorry Caroline. I'm out doing what he said. I'm gonna fix myself and come home to you. I love you."

It ended there, and the doorbell rang shortly after. Caroline headed over and pulled it open, looking down at the box on the doorstep. She picked it up and brought it to her room. She set it down on the bed and opened the invitation.

"Seriously?"

She opened the box and saw a beautiful blue ball down inside. She stared at it in amazement for a few seconds before regaining her sanity and putting the lid back on.

* * *

"It's all so weird." Evanna said as Meredith walked along beside her.

Ahead of them, Jackson was riding his bike as Evanna ranted,"The Originals are throwing a ball. Like an actual ball."

"It's some twisted Cinderella fetish is what it is. And why does the Evil Witch want an audience with you?"

"I have no idea. There's only one way to find out."

"And bring Damon as your date, too."

"Ugh, I don't wanna deal with that right now. Or... ever."

"Why, 'cause he kissed you?" Meredith teased, making kissy noises. Evanna elbowed her,"Shut. Up."

"Careful, Meredith. It's all well and good until she stabs you in the back."

"Rebekah..."

"What are you doing here?" Meredith asked.

"Relax, I'm here for Matt."

Evanna blinked at her,"Thought you weren't supposed to prey on the locals."

"I'm just here to invite him to the ball."

Evanna smirked,"Didn't you hear what I just said?"

Rebekah smiled sarcastically,"Cute. I'll see you tonight, Evanna. Mother can't wait to meet you."

Evanna and Meredith watched her go as Jackson turned around and cycled towards them again.

"Can we go get ice cream?"

Evanna sent one last, worried look Matt's way, seeing him talking to Rebekah and mustered a smile for the little boy.

"Sure, buddy. Just ... don't tell your mommy on me."

* * *

Thing was... Evanna didn't have any ballgowns other than what she'd worn to the Mystic Falls Pageant back in December of the previous year which is what led Caroline and Meredith to her house to help her get ready.

Elena decided to make a party out of it, and broke out the wine.

Evanna stared at her dress in the mirror as Elena and Meredith tried to contain their giggles. It was so... fluffy.

Caroline beamed behind Evanna,"Isn't it beautiful?"

"I've never felt more like a princess." Evanna deadpanned.

Elena raised an eyebrow,"Really?"

Evanna turned around,"No! I look like I've had a chiffon-based anaphylactic shock!"

Caroline pouted,"Okay, try on this one."

Evanna caught the dress bag and went into her bathroom. The dress was... beautiful. The gorgeous purple gown was made from purple tulle, had a counter-layered ruched bodice and was adorned with a bead-dripping trim that outlined the sweetheart construct, empire waist and floor length skirt that was covered with tulle. Evanna picked up the end of the skirt and made her way back into the bedroom.

Elena and Caroline's mouths fell open and Meredith exclaimed,"Damon's gonna flip!"

"I'm changing!"

"No!"

* * *

Caroline forced her to sit down as Elena did her makeup and Caroline did her hair.

Caroline used a few bobbin pins to pin back Evanna's fringe into a quiff, and brought back two long pieces of hair from the sides of her head, braided them and clipped them with a silver butterfly clip at the center of the back of her head.

Caroline then curled Evanna's ringlets a little tighter with a curling iron and set them tumbling down her shoulder. Elena curled her eyelashes and applied a shimmery purple eyeshadow that matched her dress to her top lids, and then painted her lips in rosebud pink lipstick.

Her only jewelery was her vervain necklace and diamond dangle earrings. Meredith had gone early so that left Alaric as the only ones in the house. Caroline was ready too, in fact, she'd arrived at the house ready, and Elena just had to braid her hair. Caroline and Elena made Evanna twirl for them countless times, their hands on their hearts.

"They grow up so fast." Elena cooed as Alaric walked in.

Caroline picked up Evanna's silver wrap and draped it over her arms, as Evanna picked up her silver clutch.

"Woah, Evanna, you look -"

"Do not finish that sentence!"

* * *

As planned, Damon was going to meet Evanna at the party. Only, she hadn't shown up yet.

He mosied on over to Carol,"Hello, Carol."

"Hello."

"Hanging out with your new besties?"

"I'm the mayor, Damon. When the oldest, deadliest, family of vampires moves into your town, you welcome them with a smile."

"Hmm, Well at least you know who you're borrowing that cup of sugar from."

"I'm trying to protect this town. They've assured me they want peace, and I've assured them that I'd enforce it."

"Mayor Lockwood," Kol greeted, joining them,"We haven't formally met. Kol Mikaelson. I hope your lovely town embraces us just as much as we plan to embrace it."

"Damon Salvatore. Have we met?"

"I've met a lot of people." Kol said,"And you don't particularly stand out. However, she does."

Damon looked over his shoulder in time to see Evanna walk in the door. The butler took her wrap and clutch for her and she smiled politely at him.

"Excuse me for a moment." Damon said, making his way over to Evanna.

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't show. I was hopeful you'd regained your sanity, but... clearly not."

"I'm going to talk to Esther, Damon. You can't stop me."

Damon sighed, showing that he relented by offering his arm to her. Evanna smiled softly, looping her arm through his.

* * *

"Evanna Gilbert, I presume?" Finn said, walking up to join her,"I'm Finn Mikaelson. You're here to see my mother."

"Is she here?"

"Her request did not include your friends."

"They're protecting me. You may not know but your mother's already tried to kill me once."

"If you want to see my mother, you'll need to be alone."

Elijah tapped the rim of his glass on the middle of the stair case,"Uh, if everyone could gather, please?"

Finn bowed his head to Evanna,"Excuse me."

Evanna watched him go and looked up to see all of the originals on the staircase as Elijah began to address the party,"Welcome, thank you for joining us. You know, whenever my mother brings our family together like this, it's tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance."

Esther walked down the stairs then and Damon turned to his brother,"Do you see who I see?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Tonight's pick is a centuries-old waltz, so if all of you could please find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom." Elijah continued.

Over that overlapping conversations, Evanna saw Esther head upstairs and went to follow her. Damon intercepted her halfway.

"Don't even think about it."

"She wants to see me _alone_, Damon."

"Well it sucks to be her."

"The point of coming here was to find out what she wants."

"You have to tell me before you walk into a lion's den."

"Why? So you can stop me?"

"Uh, yes?!"

Evanna rolled her eyes, but surrendered. Damon wouldn't let her go. He extended his arm out to her.

"It would be rude not to dance, you know."

Evanna couldn't help the small smile that graced her features.

"It is tradition."

* * *

The lyrics of _Give Me Love _by Ed Sheeran floated through the ballroom.

"You look stunning, if it isn't obvious..." Damon whispered in her ear as they danced.

Evanna blushed, giving him a bashful smile,"Thank you."

Caroline had been pulled onto the dance floor by Klaus and had to admit, it wasn't so bad.

"I'm glad you came." He whispered to her as if it was some great secret.

"Well, it was either caviar or sympathy casseroles."

"I heard about your father."

Caroline gave him a dangerous look,"Don't. Seriously."

"Very well. On to more mannered subjects then, like how ravishing you look in that dress."

"I didn't really have time to shop." Caroline replied, fighting the blush that crept up her neck.

"And the bracelet I gave you, what's your excuse for wearing that? You know, you're quite the dancer."

"Well, I've had training. I happen to be Miss Mystic Falls."

"I know."

It got to that part of the dance where the man twirls out the girl and everyone switches partners. Rebekah got Damon, Caroline got Matt, Elena got Klaus and Evanna got Stefan.

"You got dragged out here too, huh?" Evanna asked with a sly grin.

"I may have changed but Elena certainly hasn't." Stefan replied.

"What are you doing? Why are you here with the She-Devil?"

Caroline asked Matt, who shrugged.

"What was I supposed to say, no? And why the hell are you here with Klaus?"

Caroline sighed,"Don't even get me started."

Stefan chuckled to Evanna,"It took you thirty seconds to put Damon in a mood."

"He's just looking out for me."

"I think he needs to figure out that you can look out for yourself."

Evanna looked around them and mouthed to him,"I need to talk to you."

"So, talk." Stefan mouthed back.

Evanna rolled her eyes,"Not here."

Stefan shrugged, grabbed her arm and pulled her off the dance floor.

* * *

"If Esther is secretly on our side, we need to know. But I can't get to her with two bodyguards." Evanna said as they stepped outside.

"And why are you telling me this?"

"Because Damon won't let me anywhere near her without protection. And you care about killing Klaus more than you care about anything, so...oh, what, am I wrong? Does Stefan care again?"

"No, you're not wrong. What do you need me to do?"

"Make sure that I can get into that room with Esther. _Alone_."

"Are you sure you can do this?"

"That sounds like concern, Stefan." Evanna called as she began to walk away.

She paused and looked over her shoulder,"Before everything changed, you used to trust _me _and the decisions I made. Glad to know that hasn't changed, Stef."

* * *

"Where's your date?"

Rebekah looked at her brother and sighed,"Flirting with his ex."

"You've changed, Bekah. You know, settling for mortals is the first sign of weakness."

"I'm not settling, Kol."

"I brought him here to kill him. He's Evanna's friend. If he dies, she suffers. But I've already been scolded once so I was hoping you'd help your baby sister out."

"And spit in the face of mother's rules? I'm in."

* * *

"Got your text." Damon said, walking into the library,"What are we doing in here?"

He waited for Evanna's answer, and before he knew it, Stefan was breaking his spine. Stefan watched his brother's body fall to the floor and looked at the brunette, whose eyes were wide.

"I told you to distract him, not break his spine!"

"It was the only way to buy you time. Better hurry up, he won't be down for long."

Evanna nodded and stepped out into the hallway.

* * *

"Evanna. I understand my mother requested to see you."

Evanna looked over at Elijah,"Uh, yeah. Why? Is something wrong?"

"Well, her ability to forgive my brother after everything he's done to destroy this family strikes me as a little strange to say the least."

"You think it's an act?"

"It has me asking questions I never thought I'd ask. Can I depend on you to tell me what she says?"

"Of course. I'll find you later, okay?"

* * *

Finn opened the door for her and nodded.

"You're alone. Wise choice."

"It's only sage." Esther explained, showing her the herb she was burning,"I've spelled it so we can speak freely without fear of being overheard. That'll be all Finn, thank you."

Finn walked out, closing the door behind him, and Esther motioned to the couch,"You must have a million questions for me Evanna. Please."

Evanna sat on the sofa with her and asked,"How are you alive? Are you a ghost? Or...?"

"Not exactly. When I died, the witch Ayanna preserved my body with a spell. She was a close friend of mine, and an ancestor of yours."

"That's why only my aunt and I could open the coffin?"

"You complete the Bennett bloodline. I drew power from you and your aunt, and your ancestors who were with me on the other side."

"So you've been on the other side for a thousand years?"

"Nature's way of punishing me for turning my family into vampires. But there is a way for me to undo the evil I created."

Evanna arched an eyebrow, her eyes narrowed suspiciously,"You're gonna help us kill Klaus, aren't you?"

"One thing at a time, Evanna. For now, I simply need your help. I understand Rebekah shared the story of my family. How I upset the balance of nature by turning my children into vampires."

Evanna nodded,"She said you did it to protect them from the werewolves."

"It's true. But in no time at all, they began to feed on human blood. They ravaged the town with no remorse. Eventually, Niklaus turned against me."

"How are you gonna kill him? He's immortal."

"It will take time, magic, and your assistance."

"What do I have to do?"

"My children believe I'm holding this ball to celebrate our reunion. But in truth I've gathered them together to perform a ritual. The first step requires blood from the electi. Only a drop. Its essence will be in the champagne toast later on this evening. Will you do it or shall I?"

Evanna took off her elbow-length white glove and held out her finger. Esther took a pin and pricked her finger,"Elijah is more suspicious than the others, so he may need more persuasion. But they must all drink at the toast in order to be linked as one."

"What do you mean 'linked as one'?"

"You said yourself Klaus can't be killed. But tonight's spell links all my children together, so that if one goes, they all go."

"What?"

"I love my family, Evanna, but they are an abomination. I betrayed nature when I created them. It's my duty to kill them."

* * *

"I'm itching to kill someone. Come on, Rebekah, what are we waiting for?"

"The mayor cornered me." Rebekah grumbled,"Give me fifteen minutes to lure Matt outside."

"Outside? What's wrong with right here on the stairs? Make a spectacle of it."

"You sound like an idiot, Kol. Mother would kill you if you ruined her party. See you outside."

* * *

Stefan was leaning against the library door when Damon jumped to his feet.

"Easy, buddy. Don't want you doing anything stupid."

Damon sped over to him and grabbed his neck,"Where's Evanna?"

"Exactly where she belongs, talking with Esther." Stefan answered, pushing him off.

"What did you do?"

"Ah, don't blame me. This was all her right down to the broken neck - well, okay, not that part. You know, maybe you should stop being such a controlling dick, Damon."

"Wait. Hang on. I'm the problem here?"

"You're a liability, brother."

"I'm trying to keep her alive, Stefan."

"Yeah, well, your emotions are getting in the way of our plan."

"My _emotions_? How is this even happening right now?"

"Maybe because you care too damn much."

* * *

"So...what are we doing out here?"

"Just taking a break from the polite chit chat." Rebekah replied, smiling at Matt.

"It's freezing. Let me get my coat."

"This is your car?"

"Yep. If I could compel myself a Maserati, I would. But I can't."

Matt draped his jacket over Rebekah's shoulders and the feeling she got shocked her.

"Oh... I'm a vampire. We don't - Thanks. Lets go back inside. I got all the fresh air I need."

* * *

Evanna met up with Elijah in the foyer again and he smiled.

"How was my mother?"

"Intense."

"And for what reason did she need to speak with you in private? Evanna? Should I be concerned about my mother's intentions?"

"She just wanted to apologize for trying to have me killed."

"So it's true, then? She's forgiven Klaus?"

Evanna hesitated, but then nodded quickly,"It's true."

Esther stood at the top of the stairs, calling a toast,"Good Evening, Ladies and Gentleman. Waiters are coming around with champagne. I invite you all to join me in raising a glass. It provides me with no greater joy then to see my family back together as one. I'd like to thank you all for being part of this spectacular evening. Cheers!"

Elijah took two glasses off the waiter's tray and handed one to Evanna, clinking their glasses,"Cheers."

Evanna smiled and watched him drink the champagne. She took a deep breath and copied.

* * *

"There you are," Kol pulled his sister into the gap under the staircase,"I was waiting outside for you. Where's Matt?"

"About that, I, uh - I changed my mind. I don't want to ruin mother's night."

"Don't tell me you like this boy. What did he do? He gave you five seconds of his attention? Don't be so predictable, Rebekah."

"You don't have to be rude about it. Just leave him be, okay?"

Kol watched Rebekah go and smirked.

"As you wish, sister."

* * *

"Evanna!"

Evanna turned around and saw Damon walking up with her wrap and her purse. He stopped in front of her.

"Did you get what you want?"

"Actually, yes."

"Good, 'cause we're leaving. Come on."

"Uh no, Damon let go of me. Look, I'm sorry that I had to cut you out of the plan."

"There shouldn't have been a _plan_."

"And that is why I couldn't tell you. If you had known, you would have foiled this, and we both know it."

"Sorry for trying to keep you alive." Damon scoffed,"Clearly Stefan doesn't give a crap anymore."

"Now you're mad at me for including Stefan?"

"No, I'm mad at you because I care about you!"

"Well, maybe that's the problem." Evanna stopped herself too late, and she saw how rocked Damon was by what she'd said.

God, she was an idiot!

"No, that's not what I -"

"No, I got it, Evanna." He cut her off, taking a slight step back,"I care too much, I'm a liability. How ironic is that?"

"Damon -"

"Have you guys seen, Matt?"

Damon turned to look at Caroline as Evanna closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Caroline looked between them, looking every inch the deer that had been caught by those infamous headlights.

"Did I interrupt something?"

* * *

"Good evening, your Rebekah's friend, we haven't met."

"Matt Donovan."

"Kol Mikaelson."

Kol shook Matt's hand and squeezed, breaking Matt's hand easily.

"Hey, hey!" Damon said, walking up to them,"Easy on the hand, guy's a quarterback."

Damon pushed Kol off the balcony, and swung himself over the railing, landing beside Kol on the grass. He got on top of him and began beating him, eventually snapping his neck.

Stefan sped outside,"Damon, are you crazy?"

The rest of the Mikaelsons and the Gilberts came out to see what had happened and Damon looked at Evanna as he spoke, letting her know what he said was directed at her.

"Maybe a little. Far be it for me to cause a problem."

He turned around and walked away from the party as Evanna stared on helplessly.

* * *

"So uh, Esther wants to kill her whole family. How is that for mother of the year?" Stefan asked as he walked Elena to her front door.

Evanna had gone to her grandmother's house for the night, leaving them alone on the ride home.

"Yeah. And Evanna got to look Elijah right in the eye and lie to him about it, she feels terrible."

"Why? I can't say I'll be sorry to see any of them go."

"We just signed their death sentences, Stefan."

"No, we signed _Klaus's_ death sentence, Elena. Everyone else is just collateral damage."

"It's not that simple."

"Their family has brought you and your family nothing but darkness, Elena. It _is_ that simple."

Elena sighed,"What was with Damon going after Kol like that?"

"Damon being self destructive. Evanna said something she didn't mean. So did I. Anyway, uh, goodnight."

Stefan went to leave but Elena called him back,"Stefan. Did you really not feel anything?"

"When?"

"How do you do that? Act like you don't care, like you don't feel anything? Because I can't do that. I... I feel. I feel everything."

"Elena, stop."

"I'm not going to stop, Stefan, because I don't believe that you feel nothing."

"What? You think I want to be this person? I hurt you, Elena. I bit Evanna. I hate myself for the things I did to you."

Elena grabbed his face gently,"Then show it! Do something, Stefan, anything is better than trying to convince me that you don't care."

"I can't."

"Stefan..."

He reached up and wrapped his hands around her wrists, sliding her hands off of his face.

"If I let myself care, all I feel is pain."

* * *

"Can't sleep?"

Evanna turned around to see Jamie standing there. She'd long ago changed from her dress and now wore grey sweatpants, and a white camisole. Her hair was messy as it fell down her shoulders and her face was void of makeup. Somehow, she didn't care. Jamie _was _essentially family.

"You too?"

"I came to get a drink." Jamie said, pouring himself some water,"What's your excuse?"

"I feel... guilty. I said something I didn't mean tonight and I can't stop thinking about it."

"What'd you say?"

"I told a guy that him caring about me was a problem. Thing is, I didn't mean to. And I wouldn't have but ... my foot has taken up residence in my mouth. It just came out."

"What did the guy say?"

"He deflected it. Acted like it didn't hurt him as much as it did. But... when this guy gets angry, he's unpredictable."

"We're talking about Damon, I assume?"

"Nicely deduced. It's just... so complicated." Evanna laughed bitterly,"I can't do anything normal."

Jamie smiled sympathetically,"I just can't believe your Grams is cool with you dating a vampire."

"I'm not dating him, and she's cool with us being friends. Barely. I'm going to have to do some major grovelling, aren't I?"

"Just enough." Jamie smiled,"Don't worry, Meredith says the fights between you and Damon don't usually last longer than twenty four hours."

Evanna rolled her eyes,"Way to describe my awesome will-power, Mere. Wait, when did she say that?"

"When we went out to dinner."

"You and Meredith went out?! God, I'm a horrible best friend!"

"Relax, we're not dating."

"Oh..."

"Yet."

"_This is amazing_!"


	15. Chapter 15

**Vampire Diaries**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Evanna headed over to the Salvatore house before school the next morning.

While she really didn't want to face Damon after what she had done, there were matters to discuss that surpassed any emotional problems. She was about to ring the old fashioned bell when the door opened, revealing a shirtless Damon and a Rebekah who donned the same dress as the night before. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what had went on.

Damon did seem shocked to see her, but Rebekah just smirked and walked out. Damon opened his mouth to say something, closed it again and walked inside. Evanna followed, closing the front door behind her.

"Sleeping with the enemy, huh?"

"What can I say? I like breaking the rules."

Evanna took a deep breath and shook her head, jumping right to the point,"Look, I'm not proud of what I said last night, but attacking Kol like that was out of line. I know you were angry, and even though it was stupid, it did help Matt. So, thanks."

"You're welcome..." He quipped, pouring himself some scotch and knocking it back in one go.

"You should know that Esther is planning on killing her entire family. She's linked them all together with a spell. Whatever happens to one, happens to all of them."

"Well, that's great! Klaus will finally be dead. We win. Why do you look like someone just shot a panda bear?"

"Uh, maybe because to kill Klaus she has to kill all of them, _including_ Elijah. He doesn't deserve this."

"I'm supposed to care about Elijah?"

"Shouldn't you at least care about Rebekah?"

"Yesterday you were pissed that she tried to kill you. It's a win-win."

Evanna sighed, shook her head and turned to leave. Damon sped in front of her,"Don't screw this up."

"Why are you doing this?"

"He's right, you know." Stefan said, walking in,"Klaus has to die. They all do."

"See? It's democracy in action."

Evanna rolled her eyes and walked out. She'd been tempted to bump into Damon in order to spill his drink on him, and she would have. But... her guilt over those five little words that had slipped from her mouth kept her from doing it.

* * *

Evanna had been silently annoyed at Damon's nonchalance all day.

So, when Meredith and Caroline came over to help her test the accuracy of sage burning, she had to rant. Elena lay back on her bed as Evanna burned the sage; Meredith beside her and Caroline outside to see if she could hear.

"He was gloating. Like actual gloat. Like he was proud of himself for sleeping with her. Is it working?"

Caroline walked back in,"Nope. I can hear everything you're saying about _Damon: The Vampire Gigolo._"

Meredith tilted her head, making a face at the words on the grimoire page,"It is a tricky spell."

"There was more smoke when Esther did it." Evanna recalled,"Okay, go outside and we'll try again."

Caroline shrugged and headed back out.

"Speaking of Esther," Evanna said,"She came to visit my Grams and Monica today."

Elena shot up,"What did she want?"

"She wanted to introduce herself. Monica and I helped bring her back. She's channeling our entire ancestral bloodline for power. I think she thought she was being polite."

Meredith snorted,"Wow... so what are you going to do about Elijah?"

Evanna sighed,"I don't know. I just keep thinking…. Before the sun and the moon ritual, Elijah found a way to keep me alive. And now I'm in the exact same position and I'm just gonna let him die? It just doesn't feel right."

Caroline popped her head around the door,"Okay. First of all, this privacy spell is totally not working. Second; Evanna, _you_ are not doing this, _Esther_ is doing this."

Caroline disappeared again and Evanna began with a new piece of sage.

Suddenly, Evanna remembered something and whipped her head around,"By the way! What is going on between you and Jamie?"

Caroline sped back in as Elena turned to Meredith,"Is there a something? Why is there a something we don't know about?!"

"We went out for dinner so I could help him catch up on school work so he'd be prepared when he came to school."

"So you went on a date?"

"It wasn't a date, Caroline!" Meredith blushed.

Evanna's mouth fell open,"Did you just blush? Oh, my God, Meredith is blushing!"

"No, I'm not! I'm getting a drink."

All of the girls stared at her retreating figure before darting up and following her downstairs.

Alaric jumped when the three teenage girls came barreling into the kitchen after Meredith.

"You love Jamie! You love Jamie!" They chanted in unison, as the tall girl turned a bright shade of pink.

Meredith turned around,"Caroline, you're dating wolf-boy-wonder. Elena, you're sorta dating _Stefan: The Bipolar Vampire_ and Evanna, your love life is too complicated to understand. So, you can't tease me for mine."

Evanna pursed her lips,"Yeah, but... you love Jamie."

Caroline and Elena grinned,"You love Jamie! You love Jamie!"

Meredith took a deep breath and turned to Alaric.

"What do you do when your three best friends are children?"

* * *

The fun mood was short lived as Caroline and Meredith left.

Evanna was doing homework in the living room and found it hard to concentrate. Esther needed a celestial event to perform the ritual, and she'd chosen the full moon that would take place that night. It was only four-thirty, but to Evanna, time was ticking. The doorbell rang and she thanked God for the distraction.

"Got it!" She called to Alaric, pulling open the door.

"Elijah!"

"Evanna, I don't mean to intrude. I was hoping you might accompany me. I want to show you something."

Fifteen minutes later, they walked through a large expanse of wood, and Elijah seemed truly at peace.

"Forgot how much I missed this land."

"I can't even imagine what it must have been like a thousand years ago."

"You know, your school was built over an Indian village. Where I saw my first werewolf. The town square was where the natives would gather to worship. Matter of fact, near that, there was a field where wild horses use to graze."

"Sounds pretty."

Elijah nodded and motioned to another area,"Come."

"Do you know this place too?"

"I do. Below us is a cavern I use to play in as a boy. Connects to a system of tunnels that stretch across the entire area. Perhaps it's nature's way of providing us with shelter against the savagery of the full moon. My mother said there must be a balance."

"Elijah, I should probably go home..."

"I admire you, Evanna. You remind me of qualities I valued long before my mother turned us. It's not in your nature to be deceitful and yet when I asked about your meeting with my mother the other night, you lied to my face."

"That's not true. I told you that all your mother wanted was a new start."

"I can hear your heartbeat. It jumps when you're being dishonest with me. You lied to me at the ball, you are lying to me now. Tell me the truth."

Evanna sighed,"I never wanted this to happen, Elijah."

"What, Evanna?"

"We were told that whatever was going to be in that coffin was going to kill Klaus. When we found out that it was your mother…. we didn't know what to think."

"Since her return she says she only wants our family whole again."

"When she asked to see me, I… I thought that maybe she could help. That she would find a way to kill Klaus. It's not just Klaus that she wants to kill."

"She wants to kill us all, doesn't she? She wants to undo the evil she created."

"I'm so sorry, Elijah. I wish there was something I could do to help."

"You know, one thing I've learned on my time on this Earth… be careful what you wish for."

Elijah punched a hole into the earth below them, grabbed her and jumped down.

* * *

"I haven't seen Evanna since half four."

"Well, she's not answering her phone." Damon said from the other line.

"Well, _I'm_ surprised you have time to call, what with all this Original sex you've been having."

"Ugh, she told _you_?!"

"Oh, she told me." Alaric chortled.

"Oh, really? Did she also tell you that she's having an attack of conscience about this whole Original murder thing?"

"Hey, listen, I'm not gonna judge her for having a conscience."

"Well, you don't have to judge her. Just tie her up, lock her in her room, 'til this is over."

"Well, I wouldn't if I could and I can't because I'm busy."

"Busy? What are you doing?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Are you with psycho, sexy doctor girl?"

"She's not psycho! Besides, Meredith's here too, so, _goodbye_, Damon."

Alaric returned to Meredith and Abby then and slipped his phone into his pocket,"Sorry about that."

"Does he still think I'm a serial killer?"

Meredith grimaced,"He's a little judgmental."

"Speaking of. Alaric, your x-rays were inconclusive. Your knife wound was already semi-healed. It's impossible to tell anything about whoever stabbed you. Short, tall. Left-handed, right-handed. No clue."

"Well, what about my head? Why can't I remember anything about the attack?"

"Your CT scans were clear. Maybe you were compelled to forget."

"Wait," Meredith lowered her voice,"You think the killer's a… a vampire?"

Abby shrugged,"There are no other suspects. It's the obvious conclusion."

"Oh come on now." Klaus rubbed his hands together, stopping by their table,"Let's not go blaming the new family in town just because you lot have got yourselves a killer at large. Don't mind us. My brother and I are just here to let off some steam, right Kol?"

Kol smiled down at Abby.

"Right."

* * *

"Who's the creepy, lurky guy?"

Sheila looked up, and remembered the descriptions of the other original family members Evanna had provided,"That's Esther's son, Finn, he's a vampire so..." Sheila raised her hand to her ear to indicate that Finn could hear them.

"Bennett witches." Esther greeted with a smile,"Thank you for coming. I can think of no better allies than the woman who sent Mikael into his long sleep and the woman who fought Niklaus so bravely."

Monica frowned,"Why exactly did you invite us here?"

"You are the descendants of the witch Ayanna. She was a great mentor of mine and I think it's only fitting that I draw from her bloodline."

Sheila folded her arms,"So, you're channeling our ancestors?"

"I draw from the entirety of the Bennett bloodline, living and dead. The connection affords me great power, although it is somewhat difficult to maintain, which is why I require you, mother and daughter. The bloodline made manifest. Tonight, my sisters, we shall bring peace to the spirits of nature that we serve and for that I thank you."

* * *

Evanna was walking around the cavern, trying to find a way out when Rebekah blocked her path.

"Going somewhere?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Not much. Unless you try to run. In which case, I get to kill you."

* * *

Elena and Stefan walked back into the boarding house and Stefan addressed his brother,"We can't find her anywhere."

Elena set a hand on Stefan's arm when she saw Elijah sitting there, across from Damon,"Elijah?"

Elijah stood up and nodded,"Hello, Elena. Stefan."

Stefan furrowed his brows,"What are you doing here?"

Damon clucked his tongue and moved his eyebrows,"He has Evanna."

"Actually, she's with Rebekah. As you can imagine, my sister is just dying to tear her throat out. So… if you want to save Evanna's life, I need you to help me stop my mother."

"I'm a little embarrassed to admit, but when it comes to killing thousand year old resurrected witches, I'm a little rusty." Damon quipped.

"Yes, unfortunately, even when killed my mother doesn't seem to want to stay dead. Not with the spirits of nature at her side."

Elena ran a hand through her hair,"So, what are we supposed to do?"

"The witches that released my mother, she's drawing her power from their bloodline, that line needs to be broken."

"Broken?" Elena repeated. Damon decided to explain.

"He means..." Damon dragged his pointer finger along his neck in a straight line, indicating death.

"You want us to kill them?" Stefan defined.

"You know I'd do it myself, but I have absolutely no idea where they are. Besides, seeing me, they'd immediately know my intent. They won't expect to be harm by the likes of you. In any case, you have until six minutes after nine to find them."

"Oh," Damon frowned,"How super specific of you."

"By 9:07, the moon will be full, my mother will have the power she needs to kill me and my family. If you do not stop her before then, Rebekah will kill Evanna. So we all have our timeline? I suggest you get started."

* * *

Rebekah held her camera phone up to capture Evanna's face.

"Smile for the camera."

Evanna raised an eyebrow,"What are you doing?"

"Shooting a picture to inspire your boyfriend. Why don't you tell him how delightful it is being stuck in a hole with your biggest fan?"

"I guess you think I had this coming, huh? After what I did to you?" Evanna tilted her head.

"You know, I don't know what I want more, to find out we're saved or to find out it's alright to kill you."

"This isn't my fault. I wanted to get rid of Klaus. At one point, so did you. I didn't know that your mom was planning on killing all of you."

"Do you think I want to spend what could be the last few hours of my life having idle chit-chat with a girl who literally stabbed me in the back? Of course not! But for some reason, everybody seems to want to bend over backwards to save your life, which is incredibly annoying, but makes you the perfect hostage. So, why don't you sit down and shut up before I ruin everything by ripping your head off."

Evanna tilted her head, her expression conveying boredom and a slight bit of antagonizing humor,"You should think about signing up for anger management classes."

"I can't wait to kill you."

* * *

"Clock's ticking. You gonna help me brainstorm a plan or are you too busy fixing yourself a snack?"

Stefan looked up from his blood bag,"We need to call Sheila. There's got to be a way for her to stop Esther from channeling all that power."

"A. What if she's with Esther? B. What if she can't cut her off? C. I don't know how any of this stuff works and D. Neither do you!"

Stefan stared at his brother,"Do you have a better idea?"

"Worst case scenario, simple mechanics. Can't draw power from a dead battery."

Stefan nodded in understanding,"Kill them..."

Damon took the blood bag, took a swig and handed it back,"If it comes to that."

"There's got to be another way."

Damon slipped something silver from his pocket,"Well, what if I told you I had a less diabolical plan."

"You want to dagger Elijah?"

"They're all linked. One goes down, they all go down. The witches live, Evanna's safe, problem solved."

Stefan took the dagger,"We don't know if this will affect Klaus."

"Ironically, Klaus isn't our current problem."

"The dagger is lethal to any vampire who uses it." Stefan reminded his brother, glancing at him again.

"Well, I just so happen to know someone crazy enough to give it a shot."

* * *

Alaric glanced over at the bar and leaned forward on the table,"Yeah, they're still here. Yeah, they've drank their way through half the grill's liquor supply."

"Good," Damon said on the other end,"It'll be easier if they're wasted."

"So, what's the plan?" Alaric asked.

"Divide and conquer. First, we'll need a little blonde distraction."

Alaric hung up just as Caroline walked into the bar. She shared a look with the trio and walked over to the bar. Kol pointed at her, nudging his brother.

"I remember her from last night. She looks like a tasty little thing."

"Say another word and I'll tear out your liver." Klaus set a dazzling smile on the blonde,"Caroline."

Caroline stopped,"Oh, it's you."

"Join us for a drink?"

"Hm, I'd rather die of thirst, but thanks." With that, Caroline turned and left the Grill.

Klaus looked at his brother,"Isn't she stunning?"

Kol snorted into his glass,"She certainly looks good walking away from you."

Klaus got up and followed her.

"I'll take that as a challenge, brother."

* * *

"Caroline!"

Caroline smiled to herself, knowing the plan was working, but put back on the annoyed face and turned to see Klaus barely dodge a car.

"Are you serious? Take a hint."

"Don't be angry, love. We had a little spat. I'm over it already."

"Oh, well, I'm not."

"Tell me, how can I acquit myself?"

"You and your expensive jewelry and your romantic drawings can leave me alone."

"Oh, come on, take a chance, Caroline." Klaus sat on a bench and motioned for her to sit beside him,"Talk to me. Come on, get to know me. I dare you."

Caroline sighed and sat down,"Fine. What do you wanna talk about?"

"I want to talk about you. Your hopes, your dreams, everything you want in life."

"Just to be clear, I'm too smart to be seduced by you."

"Well, that's why I like you."

* * *

Sheila and Monica watched Finn light five torches around the pentagram.

"The pentagram represents our connection to magic. The salt is a symbol of the Earth." Esther explained, a serene smile on her face.

Monica bit the inside of her lip,"The torches?"

"Five torches. One for each of my children."

Sheila stepped forward,"What is this spell you're doing?"

"As the witch who cast the spell that made them vampires, I can also reverse it. When they become human again, they can be killed. As they are linked as one, my brave Finn will be the sacrifice. With his death, will come theirs."

Monica looked over at Finn,"And you're just willing to die?"

"My mother has released me from an eternity of shame. It's not a sacrifice, it's a gift."

* * *

Abby didn't know what to think of her first secret mission with the group.

Meredith had noticed the interest Kol had taken in her and had come up with another mini distraction. Now, Abby was playing pool by herself, waiting for Kol to take the bait.

"A woman of your caliber ought to choose more suitable company. What's your name, love?"

"None of your business." Abby replied, straightening up.

"Let's try that again. I'll start. I'm Kol."

"And why would I do that? I like pretty little things with sharp tongues." Kol touched her face gently and she slapped his hand away.

Alaric and Meredith walked up then and Meredith stood beside her cousin,"I'm pretty sure she said get lost, Kol."

"I'm pretty sure I don't care."

Alaric walked over and plunged the dagger into Kol's back.

"Next time, take the hint."

* * *

Evanna watched Rebekah fall to the ground, dead and hurried to make her escape.

With the witches, Finn fell to the ground too.

Esther frowned,"Something is wrong."

Klaus stood up and clutched his heart, his face twisted in agony as he looked back at Caroline,"What did you do?"

"Nothing."

Klaus grabbed her shoulders forcefully,"What did you do?!"

"I didn't do anything. Stop it!"

Klaus's eyes widened and he let her go.

"Kol!"

* * *

Alaric dragged Kol's body into the alleyway as the two girls kept watch. Stefan and Damon were out back, waiting for them.

"Here, grab him!" Alaric told Stefan, who complied.

"Good work you three." Damon grinned triumphantly. His happiness was short lived as Klaus arrived, undaggered Kol and knocked Alaric against the wall. Stefan went to attack Klaus as Meredith and Abby checked on an unconscious Alaric, but Klaus knocked Stefan out too.

"I should have killed you months ago."

"Do it," Damon shrugged,"It's not going to stop Esther from killing you."

"What did you say about my mother?"

"You didn't know I was friends with your _mummy_? Yeah, we have a lot in common. She hates you as much as I do."

Klaus moved to attack Damon, but Elijah intercepted him, seeming to materialize out of thin air.

"Leave him! We still need them, Niklaus."

"What did mother do? What did she do, Elijah?"

Elijah ignored him and held up his phone, turning to Damon,"Tell me where the witches are right now, or I call my sister and tell her to kill Evanna."

"You told me we had until after nine."

"I'm sure Rebekah will be more than happy to start her work early."

* * *

Evanna ran through the tunnels, trying to find the exit.

"You can't hide forever, Evanna!" She heard Rebekah call.

The distraction caused her to trip and she rolled her eyes at her horrible luck, before getting up again.

"Not sure why I'm feeling under the weather. Must be your boys trying to find a loophole. Won't matter, I could chase you down on my worst day."

Evanna reached the cave with the native drawings and

Rebekah appeared behind her, grabbing her in a bruising grip.

"Boo!"

Evanna gripped Rebekah's arms and headbutted her, throwing her into the wall and slipping passed the invisible barrier.

"You little bitch!" Rebekah growled, and attempted to pass the cave's entrance,"What is this?!"

"Sorry..." Evanna pouted,"No vampires allowed."

* * *

Elena took an ice pack from the fridge and put it on Alaric's head, forcing him to sit back down on the couch.

"No you don't."

"Elena, Evanna's still out there somewhere. I have to help."

"Look, I want to help too, Rick. But _you_ could have a concussion and I'm pretty much useless in those situations."

Alaric shook his head,"You're not useless. You're human."

* * *

Damon parked his car by the woods and unstrapped himself, glancing at Stefan.

"So how do we know they're going to be at the old witch house?"

"We don't. But if they're not, then we have about ten minutes until Rebekah tears Evanna apart." Stefan took a deep breath,"You know, if we sit this out, Esther completes her spell, Klaus dies, you get your revenge. It's what you wanted the whole time. The only collateral damage is…."

"Evanna." Damon finished.

"You know what she'd choose."

Damon nodded,"She'd let herself be killed to save her friend."

"Yep."

Damon looked out the window,"Hm. If we do this, it'll wreck her."

"Well, she'll hate us. Thing is, she only has to hate one of us. Only one of us has to do the actual deed." Stefan took a coin from his pocket and held it up.

"So, who's it gonna be, brother?"

* * *

"Evanna! Let's pick it up where we left off."

Evanna looked over at the doorway and felt the entire front part of her body get drenched in something.

Rebekah spread the gasoline around and Evanna stepped back,"You are insane, right? Like, clinically?"

"I prefer spontaneous. It's probably why Damon likes me so much." Rebekah threw the canister at her, but Evanna dodged it and it collided with the wall behind her.

Rebekah shrugged and pulled out a match,"Here's what's gonna happen." Rebekah lit the match and threw it inside. The match immediately ignited a fire as Rebekah lit another one,"You're gonna come outside." She threw the other one in,"Or you're going to stay in there and burn."

Evanna raised her hand on the fire went out. Rebekah only smirked,"The next match is going on you. Think you can lower the flames in time, then?"

Rebekah raised her camera phone again,"So, Evanna, how does it feel to know that these may be your last moments?"

Evanna shrugged,"You tell me. It's not my mother who's planning to kill me."

"You should be very careful with what you say to me."

"You're still wearing her necklace." Evanna pointed out.

Rebekah tore it from her neck and tossed it into the cave,"You want it? Here, take it!"

"She's not doing this because she hates you, Rebekah. She told me that she… she just doesn't have another choice."

"Spare me your pity, Evanna."

"Oh, it's not pity. You don't deserve that. It's the truth."

"Whatever it is, we're not girlfriends. Want me to prove it?"

Rebekah lit another match,"Say the word."

"You're not gonna do it."

"And why is that?"

"Because there's still a chance that you might be alive tomorrow. And if that's the case and you kill me now, you'll have used up all of your revenge. Wasted it and isn't that what you want? Revenge? Because I pretended to like you and then I stuck a dagger in your back. I mean, that's why you slept with Damon, isn't it? That's why you're tormenting me, because I hurt your feelings."

The match's flame burned out and Rebekah dropped it.

"The tough act doesn't suit you, Evanna."

"It's not me being tough, Rebekah. It's me telling the truth because we both know that I'm right."

* * *

"They're coming, mother!"

"No, it's too soon, the moon is not high enough. Go! Quickly!"

Sheila and Monica retreated back into the house as Kol, Elijah and Klaus appeared at the door.

"My sons, come forward."

"Stay beside me, mother." Finn advised.

Esther set a comforting hand on his,"They can't enter the house."

"That's lovely." Kol chimed,"We're stuck out here, while the favorite son plays sacrificial lamb. How pathetic you are, Finn."

"Be quiet, Kol. Your brother knows virtue you cannot even imagine."

Elijah spoke next,"Whatever you think of us, killing your own children will be an atrocity."

"My only regret is that I did not let you die a thousand years ago."

"Enough." Klaus stated firmly,"All this talk is boring me. End this now, Mother, or I'll send you back to Hell."

"For a thousand years, I've been forced to watch you. Felt the pain of every victim, suffered while you shed blood. Even you, Elijah, with your claim to nobility, you're no better. All of you. You're a curse on this Earth. Stretched out over generations. If you've come to plead for your life, I'm sorry, you've wasted your time."

* * *

"This place has some serious vibe in it."

Sheila nodded,"The witch spirits will protect us from the Originals, but we should get into the basement."

Sheila walked downstairs and it took a second for her to realize Monica wasn't following. She turned around and saw Stefan there,"Stefan? What's going on?"

"They took Evanna. They're going to kill her unless we stop Esther."

"Stefan, she's channeling us. We can't stop her."

"There's a way, but you're not gonna like it."

Sheila wracked her brain for a second before her eyes widened and she tried to get upstairs.

Stefan held her back,"Sheila, Sheila. Don't! Esther's drawing from the witches. The only way to cut her off is if one of you is no longer a witch."

Damon still had a hold on Monica upstairs. He fed her his blood and whispered,"This will only hurt a little."

Then he snapped her neck.

* * *

Outside, Esther heard what had gone on,"No sisters! Do not abandon me!"

Finn grabbed her and disappeared as the torches flared up and burned out in one giant fireball.

Kol, Klaus and Elijah shared confused looks. What had just happened?

* * *

Evanna was sitting on the floor with her back against the wall when Rebekah appeared,"You can come out now. Seems your boys took care of the problem."

Evanna pushed herself up,"How'd they do that?"

"Damon turned your aunt into a vampire."

Evanna's heart stopped and her throat went dry,"What?"

"Quite clever, actually. They needed to sever the witch line and, well, you can't be a witch and a vampire. In any case, you're free to go. Oh and, uh, by the way, you were right. I do prefer taking my time watching you suffer. Much more satisfying."

Rebekah smiled and sped out.

Evanna leaned back against the wall, wide-eyed and in shock. She slid down the wall as a tear dropped from her eye.

* * *

Alaric told them they could keep Monica in his apartment until she adjusted.

Evanna sat on the side of the bed, holding her aunt's hand. Sheila was seated beside her, hugging her granddaughter from behind as the young witch cried silently.

"I'm so sorry Grams."

"You didn't turn her."

"No, but Damon did it to save me. And, I'm sorry for even bringing him into our lives. You told me not to get tangled up with all of it and I still did."

"Everything happens for a reason. You can't blame this on yourself."

"I just wish things were different. I mean, it's not just us that'll lose her if she can't handle being a vampire, or she can't adopt the Stefan diet. It'll be Jamie and, oh God, Jackson! He's eight years old, Grams."

"And he has us. He'll always have us."

* * *

"Is she safe?"

Stefan appeared by Damon's bathroom door,"Elijah kept his part of the deal. Rebekah let her go."

"Good. All's right in the world again."

"I lost that coin toss, Damon. It should have been me who turned Monica. Why did you do it?"

"Cause I'm not blind. I see what's been going on around here. You're hanging by a thread, Stefan. Barely over your last ripper binge and all you want is to be the old Stefan again, and that includes having Evanna as your best friend, and Elena as your girlfriend."

"That part of me is gone for good."

"Oh yeah? How long has it been since you've had a drop of human blood?"

"How'd you know?"

"Spend 146 years with someone, you kind of start to pick up on their tails. Answer the question. How long has it been since your last drink?"

"Since Elena forgave me for threatening to turn Evanna just to annoy Klaus."

"See? You have enough to feel guilty about! Why add to the list? By the way, you're welcome."

"You know, you're not fooling anyone either. You still care for her, Damon."

"I do, but she's better off. I'm better at being the bad guy anyway."

* * *

Sheila had convinced Evanna to go home, and when she did return home, Elena and Alaric pulled her into a tight hug.

Evanna made an excuse and headed upstairs to bed. She wouldn't sleep, but she just wanted to climb under the covers, hide from the world and cry.

On her pillow lay a simple, but elegant white envelope. Evanna sighed and picked it up, turning it over and pulling out the note.

_Evanna, _

_Today I did things I abhor to protect the one thing I value most. My family. If anyone can understand that, it's you. Your compassion is a gift, Evanna. Carry it with you. As I will carry my regret._

_Always and forever,_

_Elijah._

* * *

"Where the bloody hell is everyone?"

Elijah looked up at his sister,"It's over, Rebekah."

"Where's mother?"

"We have no mother. Only Esther, and Esther was right."

"What do you mean?"

"My talk of virtue. When it suits my needs, I kill, maim, and torment. Even today, I terrorized an innocent."

Rebekah scoffed,"Evanna is hardly innocent."

"And I used your hatred of her to get what I wanted. Wielded you like I would a sword. My sister."

"You did it to protect us, Elijah, and rightly so! We deserve to live! We are better than they are."

"Are we? Mother made us vampires. She didn't make us monsters, we did that to ourselves."

* * *

Klaus watched the pictures he'd sketched of Caroline burn in the fireplace in the parlor, sipping his scotch.

"I thought you'd have gone by now. Elijah's leaving. Kol's fled. Esther and Finn are gone too."

"I hated you when I learned you killed our mother." Rebekah began,"But I realize now that after a thousand years together as a family, you're the only one who never left me."

"Well, I'll be your pair."

"There's something I need you to see." Rebekah held up the phone to him and showed him the video she'd taken of Evanna.

"Come to brag about your skills as a torturer?"

Rebekah rolled her eyes and zoomed in on the wall,"Look at the images on the wall behind Evanna. The Natives told the story of our family history, look at the images on the far wall."

"What is it?"

"A Native worshiping at the Great White Oak tree."

"And? We burned that tree to the ground."

"Look at the markings that precede it. That's the native calendar."

Klaus took the phone,"This can't be right."

"A White Oak tree, 300 years after we fled back to the Old World. There must have been a sapling, a new tree to replace the old. That tree could kill us. It's not over, Nik."

* * *

Elena had convinced Alaric to head over to Abby's apartment so she could see if he had a concussion.

Entering the place was the last thing he remembered when he woke up. He pulled himself up, and walked into the kitchen. A folder with Bill Forbes name caught his eye and he rifled through it.

There was crime scene evidence in it. He looked at the other victim's folder as well and found one of his knives wrapped in a cloth. He heard the sound of a gun cocking behind him..

Slowly, he turned around and saw Abby pointing a gun at him. She said six simple words before pulling the trigger.

"You weren't supposed to see that."


	16. Chapter 16

**Vampire Diaries**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

"The mystery is not going to get solved any faster with you yelling at me, Carol."

Carol paced in front of Liz's desk,"We have two council murders and an attempted murder on our hands. If you have a suspect, it is your duty to keep me in the loop."

"No, it's my duty to make sure I don't accuse an innocent person of being a serial killer."

"Just, tell me who it is, Liz."

* * *

Alaric jerked awake with one question on his mind. Why the hell was he in a holding cell?

Evanna turned the key and entered Alaric's apartment.

"Evanna," Monica began,"You shouldn't be here. It's too dangerous."

"Yeah, I'm good at putting myself in those situations so I think I'll stay. I brought you something."

"What?"

Evanna gave her the blood bags and watched Monica drink them down.

"You shouldn't have to see me like this." Monica said, referring to her veiny eyes and fangs.

"Nothing I haven't seen before. Have you eaten? Human food, I mean?"

"Why would I do that?"

"It helps curve the cravings." Sheila explained, joining them in the main room.

Evanna nodded at the fridge,"Alaric said to help yourself."

Evanna plugged her iPhone into it's charger, and then plugged the charger into the wall. It took a few seconds, but her phone booted up and a message came in.

_(1) new message(s) from: Liz_

Evanna frowned and opened it up.

_I hate to do this over text, but I've got Carol coming in to the office. You need to get to the station as soon as possible; it's about Alaric._

Evanna wished she could stay with her aunt, but she was the only one who could get to the station. Elena was with Stefan.

"I have to go, but I promise, I'll be back."

* * *

"I didn't do it."

Damon pursed his lips, leaning against the bars, and facing Liz,"You're arresting him for what this nut job Dr. Fell says?"

"No, I'm detaining him. The cell is for his own good. You were shot; Dr. Fell used vampire blood to heal you." Liz explained.

"Dr. Fell is the one who shot me."

"Because you came at her with a knife!"

"Yeah, with a knife I had found hidden in her things!" Alaric countered, frustration lacing his voice.

Damon stepped forward,"Are we gonna ignore the part where he is one of the killer's victims? I mean, the guy was practically stabbed to death."

"Well, Dr. Fell suggested his wounds could have been self-inflicting."

Alaric frowned,"You think I stabbed myself?"

"Look, I think I don't know what to think. I've got nothing, except murder weapons from your stash and a respected member of a founding family pointing a very long finger."

"She is setting me up. I'm being framed here!"

"Well, that may be so, but I don't have any proof of that."

Damon shrugged,"Then we'll find some."

"No, just stay out of this, Damon. You getting involved is only going to make matters worse."

"Listen, Liz..."

"Don't make me put you in that cell with him!"

* * *

Liz headed out into the hallway, Damon following, and spotted Evanna walk inside,"Evanna!"

"What the hell happened?"

Liz gave her the short version and Evanna sighed,"Were you just...?"

"Rick's fine. Sheriff wants me to stay out of it." Damon quipped dryly. Liz rolled her eyes, told them she'd be back and left.

Evanna took a deep breath; she hadn't talked to him since what happened.

"But you're not going to. Are you?"

"Seems just as good a plan as any."

"Your friend's in jail for murder and you're not gonna do anything?"

"Well, I guess I could rip out Dr. False Accusation's throat. Maybe her tongue. You know, I could chew it up into little tiny pieces and feed it to the squirrels."

Evanna rolled her eyes at his imitation of squirrels,"Stop it, Damon!"

"Guess me staying out of it suddenly sounds like a good idea, doesn't it? How's Monica, by the way?"

"Adjusting."

Damon shrugged,"Good for her."

Evanna turned around,"You know, you could at least feel a _little _bad about this."

"What? I'm supposed to feel bad for saving your life? Oh, right, I forgot that was a problem now."

"Damon, don't do that..."

"Do what?"

"You know I didn't mean what I said."

"Sure sounded like you did. Relax, Evanna. I'm over it."

"If you keep pushing people away, you're gonna end up alone."

"Maybe you should take your own advice, Evanna." Damon waved and walked out. Liz walked over.

"Do I wanna know?"

"I wish _I_ didn't."

* * *

"Dear Diary..."

Stefan instantly rolled his eyes, looking away from his journal to watch his brother, who leaned himself against the wall and continued.

"A chipmunk asked me for my name today. I told him it was Joe. That lie will haunt me forever."

"What do you want, Damon?"

"I was hoping we could hang. You know a little brother bonding. I know we don't actually _hang out_. We team up, we join forces, we activate our Wonder twin powers." Damon flashed Stefan his ring with a grin. He moved towards the bookshelf and thumbed through the contents.

"What are you doing?"

"Digging up clues. Most of the Originals are gone, but now we have a _who done it? _in town. Do you remember when we came back for Zachariah's funeral?"

"Vaguely. Why?"

"If memory serves, he wasn't the first founder's council member killed that year or even that month."

"Your point being?"

"I'm trying to remember what year it was."

"1912."

Damon plucked a diary off the shelf and threw it to him,"So much for 'vaguely'. 1912. Or as I like to call it, last time Mystic Fall's had a serial killer on its hands."

Stefan opened the journal to the front page and began to silently read it.

_It feels strange to be home again after so long away. I thought I would never return. Certainly not for a funeral._

* * *

(1912)

"I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. Salvatore. I'm told you're a distant cousin of Zachariah."

"His nephew, actually. Miss..?"

"Lockwood. Marianna Lockwood. And this is my friend, Samantha Gilbert."

"As in Johnathan Gilbert..."

Samantha cocked her head at him with a small smile,"My late grandfather. Did you know him?"

"Crossed paths. I'm sorry, I don't mean to be inappropriate, but no one seems to be willing to discuss the details of Zachariah's death."

Samantha lowered her voice,"He was murdered and he wasn't the first."

"Samantha, don't be a gossip." Marianna scolded.

"Why not? He should know. He's a founding family like us. Be careful Mr. Salvatore. It's not a good time to be a founder in this town."

Samantha gripped Marianna's arm and led her away.

"Have you been eating the relatives again?"

Stefan turned around to see Damon standing by the headstone,"Damon."

"It's been a long time, brother."

"It's been almost fifty years. I'm surprised you came."

"And miss the funeral of, what do you call him? Uncle Zachariah?"

Stefan nodded slowly,"I see you're still mad at me."

"Why would I be mad at you, Stefan? You made me become a vampire and now I walk the world alone, drinking other peoples' blood."

"Any chance you took it all out on our nephew Zachariah?"

"If I'm not mistaken, you were the one who killed our family, remember? May father rest in peace."

"I'm not like that anymore, Damon."

"Well congratulations, Stefan. But if you'll excuse me, I'd like to live out my eternal existence as far away from you as possible."

Stefan followed after him,"Damon, wait... Lets grab a drink, catch up. I've missed you, brother."

Damon hesitated and turned around again.

"Sure. Why not?"

* * *

(PRESENT)

"What do you say, brother? You wanna go get drunk?"

Stefan laughed humorlessly,"Ahhh, I get it, I get it. You're bored. Your best friend's in jail and you don't have anything better to do with yourself."

"Well, there's that and I was hoping you could help me solve a murder."

Damon snatched the journal from his brother and walked out.

"Thank you for meeting with me, Mayor. I figured as head of the Preservation Society, you'd be a good person to ask about the oldest trees in this community."

Carole nodded politely at Rebekah,"A long line of Lockwood women use to keep those records. Back before any of them had actual jobs."

"I've been to the Founder's archive, but I can't seem to find any record of the tree I'm looking for."

"It probably got cut down. Big old trees built half of this town in the 1900s."

Damon and Stefan spotted Rebekah at the table, and Damon nudged Stefan with a chuckle.

"Oh, She-Devil at nine o'clock."

"Do you happen to know who kept the milling ledges during that period?" Rebekah continued, blatantly ignoring Damon's words.

"Back then all the logging mills were owned by the Salvatores."

"So what does a medical examiner, Bill Forbes, and Alaric Saltzman have in common?" Damon mused aloud.

He noticed Stefan begin to fidget and smacked his arm,"Knock it off. Can't have you eating the locals."

Stefan knocked down his shot,"I'm not going to."

"You know, quitting blood cold turkey after a ripper binge might not be the best approach. Every time you play that all or nothing game, you eventually leave a trail of bodies. So, I'm thinking, now is a good time to pay our old friend moderation a visit."

"They were all on the Founder's Council, Damon. That's what they all have in common."

"But why them? Huh? Brian Walters and Alaric weren't from founding families. I mean, hey, if you're gonna slaughter council members, go A-list. At least in 1912 they killed a Salvatore."

Rebekah slid in beside Stefan.

"Which Salvatore would that be?"

* * *

"You have to agree, Sheriff. There is no motive here."

Liz shook her head helplessly at Alaric,"Look, both the medical examiner and my ex-husband got into altercations with Abby Fell before their deaths. Now, she said you were a witness to her fight with Brian Walters."

"So, what are you saying, I was defending her honor? I barely knew her."

"She said she also told you that Bill threatened to report her to the medical board for giving him vampire blood."

"No she didn't."

"A 2 am call the night he was killed? I pulled your records, you spoke with her for over an hour."

"Yes, I explained the truth about this town. She heard Meredith and Evanna talking, but she hadn't got the full story yet. I was filling in the blanks."

"Well, do you have an alibi for the night Brian Walters was killed?"

"I was there the night of the bridge fundraiser, okay? Until midnight. You saw me there!"

"Time of death was between one and three am."

"Well, then, I- I must have been home, sleeping. I'm sure of it."

* * *

"So, Zachariah Salvatore was your nephew?"

Damon nodded, running his finger around the rim of his glass,"Well, our father knocked up one of the maids during the Civil War, she had a son. But as far as everyone else knew, Stefan and I were dead. Family name had to go somewhere."

"And, uh, your family owned the logging mills back then?"

Damon frowned at her,"You're full of a lot of questions."

"I'm just researching the town history. I grew up here, after all."

Damon shrugged and glanced back at a ticking Stefan,"You'll have to excuse my little brother, he's jonesing for some O positive."

"I'm not jonesing."

Rebekah took a deep, unnecessary breath,"So, did they ever catch the killer?"

"Nope. Wrote it all off on vampires."

"Maybe it was a vampire."

Stefan pursed his lips, folding his arms.

"Yeah, yeah, maybe it was a vampire, Damon."

"Don't think for a second you didn't cross my mind too, brother. But these weren't your style, were they? Plus there were no other vampires circulating then."

"Well, there was one other vampire. Remember Sage?"

"Oooh... Sage..."

Damon grabbed the bottle from the bar and took a huge swig.

_Sage..._

"I knew a Sage once..." Rebekah stated,"Trashy little thing."

"You really think it was Sage who was killing all those founders back then?"

"Town questioned of a grown man in Mystic Falls. Probably never occurred to them that a woman could have done it."

* * *

"I'm due in surgery, whatever case you're gonna make against Alaric, make it quick."

Meredith grabbed her cousin's arm,"I don't have a case. He didn't do anything."

"How do you know? Sure you're friends with him, he takes care of your friends, but do you really know anything about him?"

"I know enough, Abby."

"Let me tell you what I know. He was arrested for fighting four times before the age of 21. When he was at Duke, his future wife, Isobel, filed a restraining order against him. Twice. Although, then she married him, so I guess that says more about her."

Meredith crossed her arms,"You're making all of this up."

"Am I? How would you know? You and your little friends took pity on a borderline alcoholic vampire hunter and you never even thought to look any deeper."

"How could you do this to him? He didn't kill anyone and you know it."

"Believe what you want, Meredith. You're only eighteen, you don't know anything about the real world."

* * *

The door to Abby's apartment popped open and Evanna clambered back to her feet, sliding the bobby pin back into her hair.

Matt grinned, impressed,"Nice job."

"It took ten seconds. Woo! New record! You ready to snoop, Matt?"

"Let's go."

Elena was with Alaric while Meredith stayed at the hospital, on look out.

"Don't you think the police already combed through this place? She handed over everything she had."

"Yeah," Evanna shrugged,"I'm lookin' for the evidence she didn't hand over."

"And you're sure it's her we should be investigating?"

"I know him, Matt. Alaric's innocent. _And_ I know Abby's a Fell... which means," Evanna pulled open her closet and pulled on the light cord. She moved past Abby's clutter and banged her fists on the wall.

"It's hollow..." Matt noticed, walking over.

"Skeletons in the closet. Just like a true founder."

Matt slipped in beside her and pulled the panel away, revealing stacked up boxes. Matt retrieved one and set it on the counter, opening it up.

"Brian Walters. Bill Forbes." Evanna noted as she flipped through the files. Matt pulled one out and held it out to her.

"Alaric Saltzman."

* * *

"So, let's just say Sage was killing everyone in 1912. Who the hell is doing it now? It's not that psycho, Dr. Fell. She's a woman. There's no way she could stab three grown men."

Rebekah appeared and snatched the dart before it connected with the board,"That's a bit sexist, Damon. A woman could easily kill a man, with the right motivation."

Stefan fell into place beside Damon,"You, uh, just don't give up, do you?"

"Why are you so grumpy?"

"He's on a master cleanse." Damon explained,"Trying to be a better man and all."

Rebekah tilted her head at Stefan,"You were much more fun in the '20's."

Damon wagged his finger at her,"Don't rile him up. He's testy when he's being self-righteous."

"I'm not being self-righteous, Damon. I'm just not interested in slaughtering innocent human beings anymore."

"Oh, okay, fair enough. My mistake. You _used _to be self-righteous" Damon pulled out the journal from earlier,"_Dear diary, Damon has lost his way, though I have pulled my own life together he continues to waste his._"

Rebekah smirked and took the journal,"Ouch. _His bitterness consumes him. He is nothing but blackness and vile. _Someone's judgy."

Stefan rolled his eyes,"Well, this is fun."

"You know, if I'm being honest, you didn't seem like much fun either, Damon."

Damon pursed his lips at the blonde Original.

"I wasn't. The woman I was in love with was stuck in a tomb and she wasn't getting out for a hundred years. I wasn't having any fun at all."

* * *

Rebekah rolled her eyes at Damon's story of Sage.

"That's sounds like Sage, all right."

"How did you know her?"

"She was obsessed with my brother Finn, over 900 years ago."

"Creepy, suicidal guy?" Damon groaned, hearing the clicking from Stefan's ticking fingers,"You're doing it again."

"Alright, you know what, I need to, uh, I gotta get out of here."

"Not until you admit you're jonesing."

"Damon, I'm not..."

Damon rushed over and grabbed Stefan's shoulders,"Admit it."

"Okay, fine, I'm freaking out. I'm ready to eat the entire wait staff, why do you need to hear me say it?"

"Because I'm feeling a little self-righteous too."

* * *

"She's got everything on him. Medical records, old court documents." Evanna flicked the cover of the file and scoffed,"Stalker much?"

"What's this?"

Evanna took the journal,"Old Gilbert journal."

"Why is your family's old journal with the medical examiner?"

"I... have no clue."

"Didn't you say the medical examiners time of death was between 1 and 3 am?"

"Yeah, why?" Evanna asked, pulling out her phone to check for messages.

"Because the county coroner's office says that's wrong."

"Uh, oh... Meredith texted. Abby left."

"When?"

"About twenty minutes ago." A voice behind them replied.

Evanna and Matt slowly turned around to see Abby standing there. Evanna nodded, inhaling deeply.

"Well... this is awkward."

* * *

"What were you two thinking?"

Evanna looked at Sheriff Forbes, guilt in her big brown eyes,"I know we had no right."

"No right? You both broke the law."

"But, we found something that clears Alaric. It gives him an alibi in the Brian Walters murder."

Liz held up the piece of paper,"You mean this?"

"What's that?" Matt inquired.

"A letter from the county coroner's office correcting the error in the time of death of Brian Walters. Abby Fell received it today. She brought it to me several hours ago, full of apologies for accusing an innocent man."

Matt narrowed his eyes,"Why would she have a copy hidden in her closet?"

"I can't ask those questions, Matt, because the very fact that you broke into her home to find it. Do you know how much I'm already protecting both of you?"

"We're sorry." Evanna said, reminding Liz of Evanna's younger self. Hands folded in her lap, eyes big and innocent, and seated with her back straight in the chair.

Liz felt some of her resolve slip away as she looked between the two teens.

"Just… get out of my office and go home. Please. Alaric will be released as soon as the letter is authenticated. Go."

* * *

Elena went home with them, and the three teens decided to unwind at the Grill. Elena parked out back and they turned down the alleyway towards the front of the building.

"What are you doing?!"

Stefan looked at them, blood dripping down his chin. Evanna's eyes went from Stefan, to the woman on the ground, to Damon. Stefan looked horrified as Elena gaped at him, and a flash of the old Stefan appeared to them.

"What are you two doing?" Evanna exclaimed.

"Relax, Evanna," Damon said,"It's just a little experiment."

Evanna rolled her eyes and took Elena's hand,"C'mon, let's go. Elena. Let's go."

Eventually, Elena moved and the three disappeared into the Grill.

Stefan stood up and wiped the blood from his face as Damon whistled,"Yeah... that's gonna cause trouble."

Stefan scoffed and walked off. Damon frowned.

"Stefan, hey wait, Stefan. Wait!"

* * *

Matt handed Elena a mug of tea and slipped into the dining chair.

"Just say it." The brunette sighed.

"I don't get it. Your thing with Stefan."

"I know it doesn't make sense, but at the beginning, after my parents died, there was something about being with Stefan that just felt safe."

"Safe? Elena, he's a vampire."

"I know, believe me, just saying it out loud it sounds crazy, but it's like I knew that he would never stop loving me. Like he would never…"

"What?"

"Die. Like he would never die."

"Like your parents." Matt nodded, suddenly understanding a lot more than he had. He'd felt the same after Vicki... both times.

Matt's eyes fell on Evanna, who'd been playing with her necklace silently the whole time,"What about you? Your thing with Damon?"

"There is no thing with Damon." Evanna stared at their disbelieving features and sighed, ignoring them,"He's just the pain in my ass that I can't seem to shake."

Still, what Matt said next, seemingly out of the blue but she knew it was directed at her, struck a chord.

"Once you fall in love with someone, I don't know if you can ever shake them."

"I'm here!" Meredith called, walking into the kitchen,"Ooh, I'm sensing brooding. What's going on?"

Matt looked between the two girls and shook his head,"Nothing much. By the way, I managed to get this."

Evanna straightened up,"The journal..."

"It's your family's, you should have it. Abby and that idiot deputy were too busy questioning you to give a damn about me. Sometimes it pays to be the only normal one in a town of vampires. I'm practically invisible."

Evanna snorted, patting his shoulder,"Not a bad thing."

The front door opened again and Alaric came into view. Elena stood up,"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm all right."

Evanna and Elena shared a look before jumping on him and wrapping their arms around him. Alaric chuckled.

"I missed you guys, too."

* * *

"So, I dug into the old family archives from the 1900's."

Stefan announced, walking into the parlor to join Damon.

"Now you want to be helpful?"

"Want me to go back to being mad at you?"

Damon pursed his lips as a sign of consideration,"What'd you find?"

"Well, nothing from 1912, they never did arrest anyone for the Founder's murders. But, they did get a confession ten years later."

"They did? Who?"

"Jonathan Gilbert's granddaughter, Samantha. They assumed she was crazy, locked her up in an insane asylum."

"Then what?"

Stefan shrugged,"Trail ends there. I mean, she was a Founder, you know how they like to look out for their own."

"Samantha Gilbert..." Damon repeated,"That's _very _weird."

"Why?"

"Because I'm pretty sure I had already killed her."

* * *

Elena gone to bed, and Meredith and Matt had left by the time Alaric walked into the living room again.

"Hey, I was gonna make some coffee. You want some?"

"I'm good. Gonna head to bed in a few." Evanna said, closing the journal.

"Hey, listen, Evanna, the uh - the Sheriff told me about everything you did today and while I appreciate it, I don't want you getting in trouble because of me. Okay?"

"Oh, but I like trouble." Evanna grinned, and then held her hands up in surrender,"I'm kidding, I'm kidding."

"Still, I'm the adult. I'm supposed to take care of you. Even if I suck at it."

"One, you don't. And, two, let's just agree to take care of each other, okay?"

"Deal. What are you reading?"

"Old family journal."

Alaric grinned,"Any juicy secrets?"

Evanna snorted,"It's hard to tell. I mean, at first I thought it was Jonathan Gilbert's journal, but it ended up being his granddaughter's, who apparently went just as crazy as he did. So, great genes, huh?"

"Well, at least you have something to look forward to."

Evanna laughed and got up, heading for the stairs.

"Night, Rick."

"Goodnight."

* * *

Just half an hour later, the doorbell rang.

"I know what this looks like," Abby said as Alaric pulled open the door.

"Yeah, well, I sure as hell don't. You shoot me, you have me thrown in jail, and then you have me freed?"

"I did it to help, Alaric. I forged the coroner's note to clear your name."

"Oh, you know what? People are right, you _are_ a psycho."

Alaric went to close the door but Abby stopped him,"No! Now that you've been cleared, they'll look somewhere else, they won't look your way again. Please. You have no reason, but I need you to trust me anyway. If you let me in I can explain."

* * *

"So you think Samantha Gilbert is still alive, running around Mystic Falls, killing Founders?"

Damon shrugged,"It's not possible, if she became a vampire, we'd know about it, right?"

"Then she must have had a ring that brought her back to life, I mean she was a Gilbert, right? Those rings were passed on for generations."

"Yeah, but even if she had a ring, she wouldn't be alive today. Doesn't protect her from old age."

"Jonathan Gilbert only made two of those rings. Jeremy has one of them and the other's…."

Stefan stopped, his eyes locking with Damon's. Damon groaned.

"Alaric's..."

* * *

"Like the Sheriff said, the victims were killed with your weapons."

Alaric glanced away from the file to Abby,"But I was attacked."

"With your own knife. A wound that could have been self-inflicted."

"It's impossible! I would know if I were killing people."

"Would you? Have you had any blackouts, instances of lost time?"

"You're insane."

Abby shook her head,"No, but I think you may be. You wear a ring that lets you cheat death, Rick. How many times can you die before it changes you? I think you're sick, and I want to help you."

"Alaric..."

The two adults turned to see Evanna standing in the doorway.

"This _has_ happened before." Evanna said,"Almost a hundred years ago."

"Evanna..."

"I think she's right, Rick."


	17. Chapter 17

**Vampire Diaries**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Elena and Evanna watched Alaric's brain scans pop up on the monitor.

They'd taken him down for an MRI scan the very next morning after a long night.

Elena stared at the screen,"What are we looking for?"

"I don't know. A tumor, vascular anomalies, anything physical that might explain his behavior. If it's medical, I can treat it."

Elena bit her bottom lip,"And if it's not?"

Evanna gripped her arm gently,"Then we'll deal."

Evanna walked over to Abby and pulled her away,"Could we be looking at something mental, here? Like, Dissociative Identity Disorder?"

"It's possible."

"What's that?" Elena questioned, making Evanna turn around.

"The same thing as multiple personality." The brunette witch explained,"Maybe it's not Alaric, maybe it's ... Bob, or something?"

Inside the small room, a technician slid Alaric into the MRI machine. Elena glanced at Abby again,"When did you suspect it? That it was Alaric who was killing all of those people?"

"After I found out about his ring. I remembered a story my grandmother had told me about Samantha Gilbert and her secret journal. I don't know if you know this, but we Fells are notorious busy-bodies."

"But then, why did you protect him?" Elena frowned.

"Because I'm a doctor, I don't like to see someone hurt by something they have no control over. You all care about him, and he cares about all of you. I didn't want to be the one who took that away."

Evanna gave her a small appreciative smile and noticed Alaric began to move. She pressed the button for the speaker,"Everything okay in there?"

"Yeah, yeah." Alaric's voice relayed back,"Everything's... fine."

* * *

A while later, Evanna walked back into a regular hospital room where Alaric had been getting re-dressed.

"Abby says that everything is normal. We can go; Elena is waiting out front for you."

"Yeah, well, everything is normal, because there is nothing wrong with me. I didn't kill Brian Walters, I didn't kill Bill Forbes, and I sure as hell didn't shove a hunting knife into my stomach." Alaric picked up his ring,"Or I did and I've gone insane, just like your ancestor who wore that ring."

"Look, I'm going to see Monica, I'll talk to Grams. A Bennett witch made the rings, maybe we can figure out how to reverse the damage."

Alaric handed her the ring,"Take it. I don't want it anymore."

Evanna nodded and pocketed it as Damon appeared at the door,"You ready to ditch this House of Horrors? Ohf, you look terrible."

"I just have to check out." Alaric nodded, leaving the room. Evanna turned and glared at Damon before walking out too, heading towards the exit.

* * *

"Don't worry about him, I'll take him out for chicken soup, get him a martini, make sure he doesn't kill anybody." Damon assured as he followed her towards her car.

"Just to be clear, who are you talking about? Alaric or Stefan?" Evanna asked bitterly, turning to face him, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Right, Stefan..."

"Yes, _Stefan..._" Evanna emphasized,"I was fine with you letting him out of vampire rehab, I even defended you when Elena freaked out about it -"

"You did?"

Evanna ignored him,"But then you go and let him feed on some poor innocent girl? What were you thinking?!"

"I wasn't thinking, Evanna, I was _remembering_. Remembering that Stefan and I are vampires, and remembering that _vampires _feed on blood."

"And Stefan found a way around the vein. Have you completely forgotten the existence of blood bags and bunnies?"

"It wouldn't have been enough, Evanna." Damon sighed.

"Did you even consider it?"

"Of course I did, but I seem to be the only one to realize that the _blood bags and bunnies _routine is a delusional crazy train that Stefan has repeatedly fallen off of. What he needs to learn is _control_."

Evanna sighed, unfolding her arms,"Well, he was able to manage when he was drinking Elena's blood. Small amounts every single day."

"Ah, yes, back when those two were in love and it was all rainbows and unicorns."

Evanna rolled her eyes,"Okay, I was wrong. Maybe you're not the right person to be teaching him about control."

* * *

The reconstruction site of Wickery Bridge was buzzing with townspeople who'd come to enjoy the fundraiser being held.

Three of those people were Elena, Alaric and Damon, who'd just arrived. Evanna had gone to spend time with Jackson and her grandmother.

Damon looked around, his eyes landing on the blonde talking to Carol Lockwood.

He nudged Alaric,"Barbie Klaus is up to something. She's been snooping in places she shouldn't be."

"Tell me again why we're here?"

Damon scoffed sarcastically,"Rick, the world can't stop just because you're an accidental psycho killer."

Elena turned her glare on the vampire,"Do you have any tact?"

Carol approached them as Damon smiled innocently at the redhead. Carol's wide, usually superficial, smile was focused on Alaric,"Alaric, I'm glad you're here. Did you bring the sign?" She saw his confusion and elaborated,"The restored Wickery Bridge sign. The history department promised me you'd have it today."

Alaric's mouth fell open,"I - I don't have the sign, actually it slipped…. it slipped my mind. I've been….. busy."

"Well, it's not an emergency. We'll just um- unveil it when the bridge is complete." Carol shrugged, walking away.

Elena squeezed Alaric's arm as a form of comfort and he looked down at her,"Get me out of here."

"My pleasure."

Damon rolled his eyes, walking away. He approached the woman he'd spotted a couple seconds before, and she turned around with a smirk,"Damon Salvatore. My favorite student."

"Sage, my hottest teacher. What are you doing here?"

"I'm just passing through."

"Oh, come on, nobody just passes through Mystic Falls."

Another person joined them then, her voice dripping with disdain,"Oh, look at what the cat dragged in..."

"Easy there, Rebekah. You know she used to beat men for sport."

Damon chided, prompting the blonde to shrug.

"She always was quite common."

"Rebekah, what a lovely surprise."

The blonde crossed her arms,"What are you doing here Sage?"

"Well, I heard Finn was finally freed from that casket your rageaholic brother Klaus carted him around in."

"Mmm, Finn, you just missed him. He left town and didn't tell a soul where he was going." Rebekah didn't even try to hide her delight.

"He probably went looking for me."

"Or he forgot all about you."

"I doubt that."

"No? Cause he didn't seem to mention you. Sorry you came all this way for nothing. Have a nice life."

Sage turned back to Damon, who'd been a silent onlooker, as Rebekah left.

"God, I hate that elitist Original bitch."

* * *

"Hi..."

Stefan turned around, blood bag in hand, to see Elena standing in the hallway,"Hey."

Elena watched him put the blood bag down,"I'm sorry, Damon told Alaric that there was no one home, otherwise I would have..."

"I just got home."

"I just came by to pick up this book that you found, on my ancestor, Samantha. Alaric's in the car."

"That's fine."

Elena stepped closer to him,"How are you? Damon told me you were..."

"Yeah, I-I'm okay. Did you get everything you needed?"

"Yeah." Elena nodded,"Well, if there's anything I can do to help..."

Stefan didn't say anything, so she gave him a short nod before turning to leave.

"You don't have to read that, you know."

Elena stopped, and looked back at him as he continued on.

"I can just tell you what happened. Samantha Gilbert was committed to an insane asylum, she tried to give herself a lobotomy with a knitting needle, and bled to death on the floor of her cell. If the same thing is happening to Alaric then there is nothing you can do."

Elena took a deep breath, looking down at the book in her hands.

"Okay, well, I'm gonna let you get back to… whatever it was you were doing."

* * *

"Finn? _Really_?"

Sage rolled her eyes at Damon,"He's my one true love, sue me. He turned me so we could be together forever. Then Klaus daggered him and locked him away and I've been waiting ever since. Please don't tell me that you and Rebekah are friends."

"Not unless you count hate sex."

"Good, 'cause her and Klaus always treated me like some peasant whore."

"Ah, she's just lurking around because she wants something from me. Can't figure out what it is though."

"Why don't you get inside her head and find out?"

"Cause it's impossible. She's too strong."

"I bet I could get in there."

"Sage, she's an Original, it's not gonna happen."

"Have you forgotten everything I taught you? Rebekah may be an Original, but she's a girl. You find her weakness and exploit it and I'll walk right in. That is if you want my help."

* * *

After Sage and Damon formulated a plan, they returned to the fundraiser.

Damon immediately spotted Evanna, who was balancing Jackson on her hip and laughing. Sage followed his eyesight, and saw the necklace around her neck shining in the sunlight,"Who's the girl?"

"Damon!" Jackson exclaimed, wriggling out of Evanna's arms. The little boy ran up to them and Damon picked him up this time,"Hey buddy."

Evanna walked up to them, her eyes on Damon,"What are you doing here?"

"Enjoying the festivities. Uh, this is Sage. Sage, this is Evanna Gilbert."

"So, you're a Gilbert -"

"Easy, Sage." Damon cautioned,"She's a Bennett too."

Evanna glanced to the side and spotted Jamie and Meredith,"Jackson, your brother's here. Why don't you go to him?"

Jackson nodded and Damon set him down.

Evanna watched him run off with a small smile before turning to the two vampires again,"Please tell me you're not going to do something crazy?"

Damon pursed his lips,"Define crazy..."

"Just tell me if I need to get people away from here, or not."

"We're not going to do anything _here._" Damon answered evasively, but still dropping her a hint.

"But you're going to do something..." Evanna sighed,"Just... I don't wanna know."

* * *

"Haven't seen you up at the house. Monica's been asking for you."

Jamie turned around and handed a drink to Evanna,"I've been pretty busy."

Evanna nodded, and stated bluntly,"You're scared of her."

Jamie glanced around and lowered his voice,"She's a vampire."

"She needs to feel connected to the people she loves. She needs to feel normal right now."

"She's not normal. None of this is normal!"

"Well, Monica didn't choose this, this was forced on her." Evanna reminded him simply,"She could have let herself die, but she didn't. She's trying to make this work so she can be there for you and for Jackson. So, and I mean this in the _nicest_ way possible ... get over it. It's not normal, and it's not fair but it's our lives. We can either suck it up and deal, or sulk and get nowhere."

Evanna shrugged, cocking her head to one side before she flounced away, a hand on her hip.

"Your choice."

* * *

"I really don't think you should be going through that stuff."

Alaric looked up from the file Abby had kept on him as Elena sat down beside him,"Ah, it's the truth, restraining orders and all. My life in a series of police reports."

"You don't strike _anyone_ as an angry guy."

"Yeah, well I was stupid when I was younger. But, listen, it's not like these guys didn't have it coming. I mean, this guy here, broke a beer bottle over a bartender's head. This guy, smashed his ex girlfriend's car. This guy... okay, this guy was just a douche. Everyone needs to find a way to deal with their dark side. Some people meditate, I became a vampire hunter."

Elena smiled,"Ah, semi-retired."

"Listen, there's something that's not in these reports that I need to tell you about."

"Shoot."

"Jenna's ex-boyfriend, Logan Fell, the one who was a vampire ... I was the one who killed him."

"He deserved it." Elena shrugged easily,"Although, I have wondered why you didn't drive a stake through Damon's heart."

Alaric chuckled,"I tried. He killed me. Yeah, figures..." Alaric rubbed where his ring used to be,"The thing that started all this ring stuff was me being angry enough to think I could take on a vampire in the first place."

* * *

Evanna went to Alaric's apartment with Sheila and Jackson, helping them make dinner for themselves and Monica. While they cooked, Evanna told Sheila everything to do with Alaric, and Sheila promised to help look into it.

When Jamie walked through the door, Evanna grinned,"Who are you again?"

He rolled his eyes,"Ha, ha."

"Did our little talk have an affect?"

Sheila turned around,"Sounds like code for Evanna lectured you..."

"I don't - yeah, no, I lectured."

"But I needed it." Jamie said,"Monica was there for me, now it's my turn."

Monica came out of the bedroom then, laughing softly,"Evanna, tell Alaric that Jackson wants to be a little history teacher."

Jamie gave her a small smile and she looked surprised,"Jamie..."

They hugged and Jamie spoke quietly,"I'm so sorry, Monica. I'm sorry about everything."

Monica shushed him, and hugged him tightly. Something changed then, and Evanna noticed the veins under Monica's eyes become prominent. Monica reared her head back and sunk her teeth into Jamie's neck. Evanna sprung forward and waved her hand, sending Monica back into the wall. Sheila crouched beside Jamie, helping him up as Evanna held Monica in place. Evanna firmly held Monica until she returned to normal.

"C'mon, let's get some air."

* * *

Evanna sat on the bonnet of her own car as Monica paced before her. The brunette held up the blood bag she'd retrieved from the apartment and waved it in the air,"You have to drink this. It'll help."

"I almost killed him!"

"Caroline said that this kind of thing happens a lot at first when you're still new."

"No, no! I should just go before I hurt Jamie again, or you!"

Evanna slid off her car and stood before Monica,"The only way you're going to hurt any of us again is if you leave. Don't give up on this. Not again. We can make this work."

Caroline, who'd been called over by Evanna, came out of the building then and walked over,"He'll be fine. Nothing a little vampire blood won't cure."

Monica nodded,"Thank you."

Caroline shrugged, and then smiled nervously. Evanna took note of how Caroline was twisting her daylight ring and narrowed her eyes,"What...?"

"I have an idea."

* * *

Alaric pushed a notebook he'd been scribbling in towards Elena,"I want you to have this. This is a list of my bank accounts, passwords, where to find my will, and how to contact my family, just in case this doesn't go my way."

"No, no, no. Don't even think like that."

"Elena, I need to know that you, Jeremy, and Evanna are going to be okay."

"We're all gonna be fine, because you're gonna be fine."

Elena's phone rang then and she picked up,"Caroline?"

"I spoke to Sheila, and she thinks Evanna can reverse the damage of the spell. I guess this same thing happens to witches who get obsessed with dark magic. They lose control and start acting out their darkest impulses."

"Thank God..."

"I'm gonna stay here with Monica, but Evanna's on her way home."

"Okay..." Elena heard the phone being passed over, and heard Evanna's voice on the other end after a moment.

"We're gonna need a personal effect of Rick's... something he wore _before _the ring."

"I can do that. Is... is everything okay?"

Elena heard Evanna sighed,"I'll explain later. Bye."

"Bye."

* * *

The second Evanna had stepped through the front door, Alaric had given her two tranquilizer darts in case anything happened, and she had set them on the hallway desk.

Evanna clapped her hands together,"Okay, we've got candles, the ring... now we need a personal effect."

"There's my wedding ring. It's at my loft."

"Okay, yeah." Elena nodded,"That's a good idea."

Alaric called out as Elena pulled on her jacket and grabbed her car keys,"It's in the dresser by the kitchen. It's in a - an aspirin bottle, probably covered in cobwebs."

The oldest Gilbert nodded.

"I'll be back soon."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Salvatore house, Sage and Damon's plan had worked perfectly. Damon had seduced Rebekah, and Sage had gotten into her head as she slept. They had easily found out what Rebekah was hiding from them.

There was another White Ash tree...

Damon flicked through the files in his library, looking for the logging mill records his father had kept there. Sage walked in and picked one up,"Milling records?"

"Our family made one of its many fortunes selling lumber. It's why Rebekah's been digging around about this stuff. That tree was on our land and milled by our yard. The ledgers will tell me where it was shipped. Business archives should be around here somewhere. Get upstairs, make sure you keep Blondie distracted."

Sage shrugged and went back upstairs. Damon continued browsing through the files until he landed on one from 1912. He pulled it out and flipped to the page he was looking for.

"You've got to be kidding me..."

* * *

When Elena arrived at the loft, Caroline and Monica had just headed out.

"Missed you at the house," Elena turned to see Stefan standing in the doorway,"Alaric told me you'd be here..."

"You made yourself perfectly clear this morning, Stefan. You don't want to be around me."

"I'm not trying to hurt you, Elena. I just can't be who you want me to be right now. I'm not in control."

"So then, what are you doing here?"

Stefan entered the loft," I uh - I did a little more digging on Samantha Gilbert." He closed the door and flicked on the lights,"Founding families were always pretty good about destroying their records, but I found a couple of newspaper articles. It seemed she killed two people while she was in the institution. A nurse and a guard."

"So, she was a psychopath... I get it."

"She was under suicide watch. No personal effects, no jewelry."

A frown settled on Elena's face as the realization hit her.

"Wait, so, you're saying that the violent behavior can still happen even if the person_ isn't_ wearing the ring?"

* * *

Evanna saw Alaric begin to doze off on the couch and smirked,"You still with me?"

He jerked, suddenly awake and turned to her,"Yeah, yeah, I'm still with you."

She laughed softly,"I'm half-dead too. Neither one of us has slept in two days. Don't worry, I've got coffee on."

Alaric nodded. He rose from the couch and headed into the hallway. With one look into the kitchen, where he saw Evanna flicking through a magazine, he uncapped the tranquilizer darts and emptied the contents into a plant's soil.

* * *

"Rebekah just left."

"Happy, I hope."

Sage stopped beside Damon,"Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Yep. 1912, the Salvatore milling company chopped down a forest, its most valuable wood came an old white oak tree that was used to make the Wickery Bridge. These aren't public records, so Rebekah's gonna chase her tail for a long time."

"So all the wood stripped from the underside of that bridge is basically a weapon that could kill an Original."

"Yep."

"You see how this could be a problem for me, right?"

Damon paused,"Why? Because of your true love, Finn? Let me tell you something, I met the guy, you're not gonna miss him."

Sage rushed at him, grabbing him by the throat and slamming him into the wall,"I will rip your head off in two seconds if you take one more step."

"Alright, let's make a deal. You let me kill Rebekah, I consider Finn untouchable, you guys walk into the sunset together."

"Is that a promise?" Sage asked, her grip loosening a little.

"Yes. It's a promise."

* * *

Elena pulled open another drawer, looking for the wedding band. Stefan, with his arms folded, leaned against the doorway,"What if Sheila's spell doesn't work? What are you guys going to do then?"

"We're not going to do anything, Stefan. We're going to keep looking until we find something."

"You don't know how long this has been going on. Might be too late."

"It's not."

"Not everyone can be saved, Elena."

"Are we talking about Alaric here or are we talking about you? Because I wasn't planning on giving up on either of you."

Their gazes held, even as Stefan pulled open a drawer and revealed pictures of Bill Forbes and Brian Walters; their crime scene photos, newspaper articles... all of it.

Elena frowned,"What is all that?"

"His victims."

"I have to get back."

* * *

"You hungry?" Evanna asked as Alaric walked back into the kitchen,"I could make something."

"I'm good. Can I ask you a question?"

Evanna gave him a smile,"You just did. Go on..."

"Do you ever feel remorse?"

Evanna frowned,"What?"

"Well, you_ are_ a founding family member, so you're a part of the council in a way. And the council was formed to protect the people of this town from vampires and yet, here you all are, just looking the other way, ignoring your responsibilities. So I'm asking you, do you ever feel remorse? Because you should." Alaric picked up the knife and Evanna took a step back.

"Oh, so... Crazy Rick has come out to play..." Evanna cheered sarcastically then,"Goodie!"

Alaric rushed towards her with the knife and she darted out of the way. He'd managed to slash her stomach with the knife, and blood began to seep through white top. She headed into the hallway, holding her stomach, and noticed the darts were empty.

Evanna turned to see Alaric advancing towards her,"Emptying the darts when I wasn't looking? Dick move."

She turned on her heel and she dashed up the stairs with him close behind. He made a swipe for her ankle, and she almost tripped.

She turned to face him,"I don't want to hurt you, but..."

She reared her leg back, gritting her teeth as blood dripped through her fingers, and kicked him in the shoulder hard, knocking him back.

Evanna turned, and ran up the stairs again. She hurried into the bathroom, and tried to close the door. Alaric reached the door just as it was about to close and pushed it back. Evanna put all her strength, natural and magical, into pushing the door closed and locked it. Breathing heavily, she leaned against the door and looked down at her wound. The blood was coming fast, and her energy was draining at the same speed.

"Come on, Evanna. Let me in."

"Sorry, Rick, no crazies allowed."

* * *

Damon grumbled to himself as he drove towards Wickery. Sage had disappeared while he'd been out of the room, and he had no doubt as to where she had run off too.

When he arrived, he saw Rebekah standing before a bonfire made out of the wood from the White Oak tree. Damon got out of his car and slammed the door closed in frustration.

Rebekah turned around, beaming,"Your grand plans always seem to get ruined, don't they? Sorry to disappoint you. Again."

Damon turned around and glared at Sage, who was now standing by his car,"You set me up."

"No. I'm just looking out for myself."

Damon stalked over to her,"I told you I'd save your creepy boyfriend!"

"And you lied to me, Damon! The Originals are linked, if one dies they all die. If I can get inside her head, don't you think I'd be able to get inside yours?"

Damon rushed her, slamming her into his car,"I should end you!"

"I'm 900 years old, Damon, you can't end me." Sage threw him off her,"Do you really think that I would risk Finn's life for one of your petty revenge fantasies?"

"Let me tell you something," Damon began with gritted teeth,"Your long lost love has a suicide wish, 'cause when mama witch linked them together in a spell, he's the one that volunteered to die."

"He wouldn't do that."

"He didn't want to live. Not for you. Not for anyone. He doesn't love you, Sage. Now, when I do find another way to kill those Originals, I'll start with Finn."

* * *

Elena and Stefan walked into her house, but Stefan stopped. He nudged Elena's hand, getting her attention and sped upstairs. Elena frowned at his behavior, but shook it off when Alaric walked by the kitchen door.

She walked in and immediately spotted the blood on the counter,"What happened?"

"I, uh, broke a mug. Cut my arm."

Elena glanced around,"Where's Evanna?"

"Sheila called. Something about the spell needing some other ingredient, I don't know. Did Stefan catch up with you?"

Elena was about to say yes until she remembered Stefan's behavior and instead shook her head,"No."

"Did you get my ring?"

"Couldn't find it."

"Yeah, well my place is a bit of a disaster. I guess I'll just have to go get it." Alaric walked around the counter, and that's when Elena noticed the bloody knife on the counter behind him.

He stopped and reached for it as she backed away. Suddenly, Stefan was behind him, knocking the knife from his hand and grabbed him in a choke hold.

"Don't hurt him!"

"I'm trying not to." Stefan answered as Alaric fell unconscious. Stefan let him drop to the floor and grabbed Elena's hand,"I need you to come upstairs with me."

"Why?"

"I'm gonna need your help."

Elena allowed herself to be dragged upstairs. She noticed the blood on the bathroom doorknob and rushed inside, flipping on the light.

"Oh, my God, Evanna!"

Evanna's face was pale, and there was blood all over her top. A bloody rag lay beside her, and her hands were covered in the red substance.

Evanna took a deep breath and mustered a small smile,"It's just a scratch..."

Elena pushed her younger cousin's hair back,"You'll be okay."

Elena turned to look at Stefan, who's face had morphed into his vampire form. Slowly, it came back to normal and he bent down beside Evanna, biting his wrist and placing it to her lips. Elena continued stroking Evanna's hair.

"You'll be okay."

* * *

When Alaric woke up the next morning, his memories of the night before were vague.

He realized he wasn't alone, and looked over to see Damon sitting in the armchair,"What are you doing here?"

"Just making sure Sheila didn't turn you into a toad, or a block of salt or something. She did a little spell, it's nothing to worry about, it's just something to keep the killer in you at bay."

Alaric rolled his possibly bruised shoulder and winced,"Did something happen?"

"Let's just say you've got an alter ego hell bent on killing people, ring or no. So, we're gonna pack up some of your stuff, we're gonna go to the cellar, just for a little bit. You know it's like house arrest. Polite."

A flash hit Alaric and he shot up,"Where's Evanna? Is she okay?"

Damon nodded softly,"She'll be fine, Rick."

* * *

"Grams says that all the dying and coming back to life might have chipped away at Alaric's psyche, making it easier for the darkness to take hold." Evanna held up a container,"These herbs are the binding element of the spell. He needs to take them twice a day. Grams is going to work on a garden for this stuff."

Elena nodded and took it from her,"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yup. All healed." Evanna managed a smirk,"I'm shiny again."

Elena grabbed her and pulled her into a hug,"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you last night."

"Elena, you didn't know. None of us did. I'm fine, I promise."

* * *

"Am I even doing this right?"

Jamie chuckled at Caroline,"Yeah, you're doing fine. Hey – uh – thanks for helping out with Monica. Evanna's really lucky to have friends like you."

Meredith smiled at that, and Caroline shrugged,"Well, I went through the same thing once. With my dad. But it didn't really work out, so… you know. Well, when Evanna gets back she can snap her fingers or wave her hands or whatever and make the herbs bloom. I think Monica's up."

Caroline walked into the house, and Meredith stood up,"I'll go get more herbs. Be right back."

"Okay."

Meredith followed Caroline inside, and Sheila and Monica stopped their conversation, both of the women seeming tense. Caroline frowned,"What's wrong?"

Meredith looked at the suitcases on the floor and nodded towards them. Caroline glared,"You're leaving?! You're kidding, right?"

"I have to. I don't know how to do this."

"Do what? Be a vampire or a parent? Because Caroline can help you be a vampire, she can teach you self-control, but being there for your family, I mean, that's all you. Sheila and Evanna are giving you another chance, and you're going to throw that away?"

"They're better off without me."

Sheila scoffed,"No, we're not. You're my daughter, and you're Evanna's aunt. I'll give you unlimited chances because that's what a parent does, but Evanna won't."

"She's giving you a second chance, Monica." Caroline spoke,"Evanna wants to make this work."

Monica took a deep, unnecessary breath.

"Tell her I'm sorry."

* * *

Evanna sighed, staring up at her ceiling. Monica was gone... again. Just like last time, she hadn't said goodbye, she had just left.

Sheila now had Jackson to take care of, and of course, Jamie would help out, but even he didn't know what to do with himself. Evanna was hurting, but she refused to shed any tears. She knew the risk of giving Monica another chance, and even if she hadn't wanted to acknowledge it was there, she'd known it was. Evanna shook her head and sat up, picking up her phone and dialing a familiar number.

"Hello?"

His voice brought a smile to her face,"Hey, stranger."

"Hey!" Jeremy exclaimed happily,"Are you checking up on me?"

"Do you need to be checked up on?"

"Well, I'm not flunking any of my classes. _Yet_. And I got a dog."

Evanna smiled,"Have you talked to Alaric lately?"

"No, why? Is everything okay?"

Evanna felt the back of her nose tingle and took a deep breath to keep the tears at bay,"Yeah, everything's fine. Just wanted to see how you were."

"Okay. Hey, can I call you later? I'm actually on my way out with some friends."

"Yeah – um - of course, Jer. Go out, go have fun, and um - I – I just miss you."

"I miss you, too, Ava. Love you."

"Love you. Bye."

Evanna hung up and put the phone down. She brought her knees to her chest, buried her face in her childhood bear's head and cried.

* * *

Stefan knocked back another shot as Damon strolled in.

"Drinking alone is sad, brother."

"Just having a little toast."

"To what?"

"Control."

Damon shrugged, taking Stefan's shot glass and downing it himself,"If you're happy, I'm happy."

"Why are you in such a good mood? Sage double-crossed you, tree's a pile of ash, Alaric's got a psychopathic alter ego."

"You know, Stefan, I'm a philanthropist, I make the world a better place. Restoring bridges, landmarks, and…" Damon unveiled what he'd carried into the room,"Historical signs made of the same white oak as the Wickery Bridge."

Stefan stood and looked at the sign,"They think all the wood burned."

"I sold my rage. You should have seen me."

"We have a weapon."

"Game's back on, little brother. Let's go kill some Originals."


	18. Chapter 18

**Vampire Diaries**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Yes, I am still alive! Go me! Sorry about the wait, I've kinda been Action Girl these past few days, but it's here now, so I hope you guys aren't too mad at me. I'm glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter, and the fact that Evanna was one of Alaric's victims, and I continue to hope you enjoy this chapter too. :)**

* * *

Alaric had been moved back to his apartment now that Monica was gone, so that's where Evanna headed the next morning, carrying breakfast for him. She knocked on the door, but instead of Alaric answering the door, her eyes locked with familiar baby blues.

"Morning, sunshine." Damon quipped, leaning against the door, a lazy smirk plastered on his face.

"Hey, how's Alaric?" Evanna asked, moving towards the threshold.

Damon planted himself firmly in front of her, stopping her,"Indecent. But fine."

"So then, does that mean there were no issues last night?"

"Nope. Slept like a baby, woke up Alaric. No head minds about dead council members."

"Then why do I feel like you're hiding something from me?"

"Well, maybe because you're being all paranoid. What'd you bring me?" Damon took the bag,"Ooh, chocolate muffins. You know what they say; the way to a psycho killer's heart is through his stomach."

"Damon..."

"Fine. Keep convincing yourself that you're still mad at me. But sadly, Rick's gonna have to miss Evanna time today. You know lockdown and all."

"Just take it and give it to him and... tell him that we miss him, okay?"

"Will do. Bye now." Damon closed the door and set the bag down.

He headed back to Stefan and Alaric, adding commentary to Evanna's exit,"Walking down the stairs, opening the front door, and she's gone."

Alaric nodded and turned back on the electrical saw he held in his hands. He continued sawing the sign up as Stefan and Damon made stakes out of the pieces.

Stefan handed Damon another stake,"This one needs a sharper point."

"Got it."

"We finally have our own stakes to kill an Original. I'm not gonna miss because you can't whittle."

Damon smacked Stefan's arm,"I said I got it. Stop micromanaging."

"Looks like you guys have got this under control. I'm gonna call the Sheriff."

Both brother's turned to stare at him questioningly.

"I want to turn myself in."

Damon rolled his eyes,"No, you don't."

"I have a homicidal alter ego. Unlike some people in this room, I would like to take responsibility for the people I've killed."

Damon looked at him again,"If you wanted to turn yourself in, you wouldn't be saying it out loud. Just saying."

"Hey, listen, out of all the people you cannot psychoanalyze me. I killed Caroline's father; I stabbed and nearly _killed_ Evanna. Everything's changed."

"Look, you're not turning yourself in. Sheila's herbs are working and we have Originals to kill."

"His morals get very questionable when he has revenge on the brain."

"Klaus needs to die. We finally have the chance to kill him, so you are not turning yourself in." Stefan said firmly, going back to sharpening the stake.

"Here's your ring, Rick. Put it on." Damon said, holding it out to him.

"That ring is the reason I've killed people."

"It's also the reason you're alive. You're going vampire hunting, Rick. Wear it."

* * *

"So, what's with the cryptic secret meeting text?"

Evanna shrugged as Matt joined the four girls,"I don't know, Damon just said to meet here."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to go bird watching with all of you." Damon's sarcastic voice rang and they all turned around to see him and Stefan walking up to them.

Elena glanced at Stefan,"Why are we here?"

"We found some more white oak."

Damon shrugged,"Long story, wait for the movie."

"Hang on. White oak? You have a weapon that can kill Klaus?" Evanna questioned.

"Nope." Damon smirked,"We all have."

"Klaus has always been one step ahead of us, but now we have the advantage." Stefan explained,"We're all armed and they are all linked, meaning we only need to kill one of them. We need to seize the best opportunity, which means we need to prepare for every opportunity."

Damon held up a finger,"Scenario number one." He stepped forward and grabbed Elena's shoulders,"You get to play Klaus."

Elena rolled her eyes, but didn't protest.

"Rebekah is our target so we distract her and catch her off guard. To do that we need to keep Klaus separate and occupied." Stefan looked to Caroline,"Caroline."

"Why do I always have to be Klaus bait?"

"Because he's obsessed with you." Damon quipped," But for right now we need you to play Rebekah. We use the quarterback to distract her. Just keep her talking."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Matt asked.

"Act interested. She's lonely, desperate - "

Evanna snorted, her eyes on Damon,"Which we know for a fact; there had to be some reason she slept with you."

Caroline and Elena giggled, and even Stefan had to suppress a grin. Damon sent Evanna a playful glare and she beamed back, fluttering her eyelashes innocently.

"Jealousy doesn't suit you, Evanna." Damon shot back, earning an eyeroll,"Hm. Beefcake holds bombshell. I come up from behind her. Grab her arms like this..." Damon pulled Caroline's arms back.

Stefan held up a stake as if he was about to stake Caroline,"Gives me time for one shot."

Damon let go of Caroline, and stepped away from her as Stefan looked over them all,"Got it? Good. So we all have one stake, we keep it hidden and we look out for any opportunity we have."

"No last minute attacks of pity for any of them." Damon's eyes blatantly went to Elena, and she rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry about me. Not after what happened to Evanna's aunt."

Damon shrugged and looked to Caroline,"Barbie?"

"Oh, I'm ready. Anything that will free Tyler from his sire bond to Klaus."

"Witchy?"

Evanna stood with her hand on her hip, and shrugged,"I'm down."

Damon turned to Matt last,"Busboy?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Good point."

"We have 12 stakes, 12 shots at killing one Original." Stefan spoke up,"We can do this. Alright, let's try another scenario. Elena, grab a crossbow."

* * *

"I mean, did you learn nothing from the moonstone in the soap dish?"

Damon pouted, glancing over at Alaric from where he was hiding his White Ash stake in a pile of fire wood,"Why? Where'd you put yours?"

Alaric opened his mouth, but closed it swiftly after a crash from downstairs caught both of their attentions.

"What the hell was that?"

Damon ignored him, standing up and walking downstairs. Nothing. He stood on the last step, and turned when he heard something get thrown down the stairs,"Rick?"

He turned back around and gasped as an iron rod slid through the skin of his stomach like butter. He looked up from the rod and stared at a smirking Rebekah. She tilted her head, immensely happy with herself.

"Hello, lover."

* * *

In the Mystic Falls Town Square, Matt was still shaking his head,"Mr. Saltzman was like the most normal guy in town."

Caroline made a face,"Yeah..."

Evanna glanced to the side of them, towards the Grill, and scoffed,"I spy with my little eye..."

"What's Klaus's brother doing here?" Matt frowned as he, too, spotted Finn and Sage.

"I thought he left town." Elena folded her arms as they watched the two vampires from afar.

Caroline cleared her throat to make them look at her, and then looped her hair around her ear. She focused in on their conversation and listened intently.

"So, can you guess why I've dragged you out here?" Caroline heard Sage ask.

"If memory serves me, this is where the Natives use to make sacrifices to their Gods." Finn replied.

"This statue was built where we used to rendezvous. Back when you used to have to sneak away from your siblings to see your tall true lady friend."

"I assumed after 900 years you'd moved on."

"I took care of myself, but I never stopped loving you Finn. I don't want you to die."

* * *

"Hey."

"Hey." Elena returned the greeting from the other line,"Where are you?"

"I just got home. Why?" Stefan stopped walking through the hallway and listened to her speak.

"Klaus' brother, Finn is in the town square and he's with some ex-girlfriend or something."

"Ex-girlfriend? Guy's been in a coffin for the last 900 years." He paused,"Sage. It's gotta be Sage. Is Evanna there?"

"Yeah, hold on."

"What's up, Stef?" Evanna's cheerful voice came through, but he could hear she was tense.

"Listen to me, Evanna, do not do anything, okay? Sage is very old and very strong. None of you stand a chance against her."

"Then get Damon, and get down here."

Stefan turned around to search for Damon and spotted Alaric sitting on the stairs, injured. Stefan narrowed his eyes slowly,"What the hell happened to you?"

"What? What happened, and to who?" Evanna questioned frantically on the other line.

Alaric groaned, massaging his arm,"Rebekah happened."

Stefan let out a breath and put his phone back to his ear, where Evanna was patiently impatiently waiting.

"I think we have a problem."

"I guessed as much..."

* * *

Rebekah clamped the bear traps around Damon's wrists securely, so that he dangled from the ceiling.

"Found 'em in the shed." She explained,"What monster would tie up a poor, defenseless animal?"

"You've got to admit, even for me, it's a little kinky."

"You pretended to be interested in me and then you slept with me so your trampy friend, Sage, could steal my thoughts. Ever since then I felt this incessant need to one up you. So I've decided to bleed the vervain from your system."

Rebekah ripped his shirt open, and dragged a knife down his skin, watching the line of blood slowly expand. Damon grimaced through it, but made no sound,"You want to compel me to be your boyfriend?"

"Actually, I'd rather compel you to kill your brother. Or Evanna. But, since vampires heal, bleeding you may take a while. We should probably stick to the major arteries."

Rebekah cut his throat, which made him bleed profusely. Klaus entered the room, paused and tilted his head at the scene,"Well, look what you've caught. Trying to bleed him of vervain, don't you think it would be easier to hang him upside down?"

"I'm perfectly capable of inflicting pain, thank you very much."

Klaus rolled his eyes sarcastically,"Well, excuse me, it's not like I have any expertise in the matter."

"You know, why don't you just leave me be and go and manage your witch?"

Klaus grinned and left. Rebekah rolled her eyes, irritated at her brother, and turned back to Damon.

"Hmm, where were we?"

* * *

"Tick tock! I should be hearing chanting by now."

Evanna rolled her eyes as Klaus stepped into the room behind her,"Why am I helping you again?"

Truth was, she knew why. She had an opportunity. The stake was up her sleeve, and one move and he'd be dead. That was the only reason she'd agreed to 'help' him. Her friends didn't know about it; call it an 'independent project' if you will.

"You've been warned. If you're looking for a way to send for help, I will kill anyone who comes to your rescue."

"Charming." Evanna quipped,"I've got the unlinking spell, I just don't know if I'm strong enough."

"Then you should have a little more faith in yourself, Evanna. Your energy helped my mother link us. Honestly, I think someone isn't trying very hard. Very well." Klaus produced his phone and called Kol,"Kol. How's the weather up there in Mile High City? And how's our friend? May I see him?"

Evanna's frown turned into a glare when Klaus showed her the phone. It was a video call, and she could see Jeremy playing fetch with a dog.

"There's Jeremy, playing fetch with his new puppy. Oh, isn't that just the most adorable thing you've ever seen?" With an arrogant smirk, Klaus took the phone away,"Thank you Kol, we'll be in touch." He hung up,"So, Evanna, how bout that spell?"

Evanna's glare never wavered.

"Oh, you _dick_."

* * *

Outside the Mystic Grill, Elena blew out a relieved breath when Stefan arrived,"Hey, how's Alaric?"

"He's just banged up. Caroline's gonna stay with him and make sure Alaric stays _Alaric_. Matt texted me and said Finn is still in the Grill. We need to plan our next move."

"Wait, wait, Rebekah has Damon; what are we gonna do?"

"Stay on point. See an Original, kill an Original. That's the plan."

Elena nodded, and glanced behind him,"Where's Evanna?"

"How should I know?"

"I thought she was with you."

Stefan stared at her,"Where could she be?"

"I don't know. She just... disappeared."

"Well, this isn't good."

* * *

Klaus had vanished after their little conversation, so she decided to find out where Damon was. She knew he was in the building; she could sense him. Slowly making her way through the building, with a cloaking spell over her to mask her movements. Evanna felt like Harry Potter. Except female, and in a whole mess of trouble.

She located Damon finally, and fought to keep her gasp to herself. She hurried towards him, and he opened his eyes.

"Evanna..."

"Hey, sh..."

"What are you doing here? Rebekah could kill you."

"Then hurry up and - and tell me what to do." She ordered him, glancing up at the shackles. Damon adjusted himself, a small groan slipping from his lips,"Open them. Carefully."

Evanna reached up, and undid one shackle. She wound a an arm around his torso to hold him up. She reached over, and freed him from the other one. She held him up, and half-carried, half-dragged him out into the hallway. He stumbled, almost fell over, and she went with him, but managed to stay standing,"Damon, come on. We have to keep going."

They made it into the hall when Damon collapsed. This time, she did go with him. She grabbed his face, stroking his cheeks gently,"Hey, look at me. Look at me."

"Get out of here, Evanna. Don't be an idiot."

"I'm not leaving you here, so deal. Here, drink." She pressed her wrist up to his lips. He resisted and she put more pressure against his lips, giving him a pointed look.

"_Drink_."

* * *

Damon heard Rebekah and Klaus coming back, so he pushed Evanna into the other room. He sped back into the room he'd been in, and shackled himself up again, wincing through the pain. It was stupid. He should have taken Evanna and left, but they'd catch up to them easily. Instead, he just hoped they didn't suspect anything.

Rebekah walked into the room, and he figured Evanna was with Klaus.

Evanna was still wondering why Damon had gone _back _to Rebekah's torture chamber, but realized why when Klaus walked in. Now she was glad he had; if Klaus knew she'd been trying to help Damon, he could kill Jeremy. Evanna's heartbeat was going a mile a minute. She didn't know if Rebekah knew Damon had gotten free, and if she did, what was she doing to him?

Evanna's fear was only made worse when she heard Damon scream,"What was that?"

"I wouldn't let it bother you, love."

"Well it does! And you know what bothers me most? _You _and your whacky-ass family!"

"You're being emotional, Evanna. I understand that things have been rough for you. You know, with your aunt leaving._ Again._" Klaus taunted, his jaw clenching,"It's very sad. I can help you find her, if you want. I have people who can find people who can bring her back to you. Or, if you choose I can just bring parts of her back. Isn't it obvious that I'm just gonna continue to hurt the people you love until you do the spell? Now, I know it's in the grimoire and I know it requires the blood of my siblings, so here we are."

Klaus opened a case, showing her the four vials inside,"Kol, Finn, Elijah and Rebekah."

He bit his hand, and held out his bloody limb to her.

"Where do you want this?"

* * *

Evanna was torn. She had no choice but to undo the spell. Klaus knew she knew Damon was there, so now he had his safety to hold over her too. She did the spell, watching as the blood she'd mixed together, separated into five different circles. Once they were completely separated, Evanna stepped back and took a deep breath. It was done.

"Aw, leaving so soon?" Rebekah asked as she entered the room.

Evanna rolled her eyes,"What did you do to Damon?"

"I'll show you."

Rebekah grabbed her hand, and dragged her into the other room. Klaus followed behind and Evanna had to bite her lip. Damon looked worse than before.

"Yeah, you'll have to excuse the mess," Klaus shrugged,"Apparently Damon hurt her feelings. Go on, help him. Save the man who turned your aunt into a vampire."

Evanna stepped forward, and action they weren't expecting. They didn't move though, as Evanna let Damon free.

"You're really going to help him?" Rebekah questioned in utter disbelief,"After everything he's done?"

"I can't hold a grudge." Evanna admitted, her brown eyes flashing to Damon,"Plus, you pissed me off and this'll annoy the hell out of you, so it's kinda a win-win."

Damon snorted from behind her, and even Klaus smiled a bit. Rebekah, however, had steam coming from her ears.

"I did the spell. Let Damon and I go." Evanna said, ignoring the blonde and looking at Klaus.

"Klaus!" Rebekah exclaimed,"You're not seriously going to listen to her, are you?"

"I owe her one. You do, too."

Rebekah folded her arms, clenching her jaw, her smile so obviously forced.

"I'll see you in physics, Evanna."

* * *

"What did you mean when you said you did a spell?"

Evanna pursed her lips, looking down at Damon with an innocent look. He sat on her bed, shirtless, as she patched up the wounds her blood hadn't healed.

"I did a thing."

"What thing?"

"Let's not talk about the thing."

Damon grabbed her hand and turned her around to face him,"No, _let's_ talk about the thing."

Evanna pouted, and shifted her eyes nervously,"I... may have unlinked the Originals..."

"What?! Why?"

"Because Klaus threatened Jeremy, and you were being tortured in the next room, and I ... I panicked! Okay?" Damon watched her pace,"God, I got you out of _Rebekah's Room of Pain_, didn't I? Sue a girl!"

"So... does this mean we're friends again?"

Evanna stopped and turned to look at him,"I guess so. Truthfully, I don't know why I cared so much about Monica. She just left again."

"She's your aunt, you're always going to care about her."

Evanna nibbled her bottom lip,"Sometimes I wish I didn't. I wish... that I could do what you do; switch it off. Life would be a hell of a lot easier."

Damon nodded and stood up, walking towards her,"It would, but you wouldn't be you. Besides, you were the one bagging on me to feel, you're not going back on your beliefs _now_."

Evanna laughed softly at that, and he smiled, amusement dancing in his blue eyes. Suddenly, she was aware of how close they were and how shirtless he was. She took a deep breath and stepped back as the front door opened downstairs.

"Evanna? Are you here?"

"Up here!"

* * *

By the time Elena got upstairs, Damon had pulled his shirt back on. Stefan, Caroline, Meredith and Matt followed behind her, and the girls crushed her into a hug.

"Where were you?" Caroline exclaimed, checking over her for injuries.

"Saving me." Damon answered. Caroline frowned,"Where were _you_?"

"Barbie Klaus was feeling torture-y today."

"We killed Finn!" Matt grinned, grabbing Evanna in a celebratory side hug.

Elena had a grin of her own,"The Originals are gone..."

Evanna glanced at Damon, and then decided the floor would be very interesting. Damon cleared his throat.

"About that..."

* * *

Later on, the girls sat in the Gilbert kitchen. Caroline had been with Alaric the whole day, and assured the girls that he was fine.

It was weird not having him at the house. They'd grown accustomed to him being there 24/7.

They were currently discussing what their next move was going to be, taking into account the fact that Sage, and some vampire named Troy, had died within an hour of Finn's death. Evanna knew what that meant; kill an Original, kill every single vampire they have ever turned.

"We still have enough stakes to kill three out of four of them." Elena shrugged, shoveling a fork-full of pasta into her mouth.

Evanna frowned,"If we can figure out who to save."

"How are we going to do that?" Meredith questioned from the head of the table.

Caroline sighed,"No idea."

Evanna pointed at Caroline with her fork,"You were turned with Damon's blood, and Damon and Stefan were turned by Katherine, and we know that Katherine was turned by Rose."

Meredith glanced at them,"Well, who killed Rose?"

Elena pouted,"We don't know that either. But it can only link back to one Original and if the odds are in our favor, hopefully it won't be Klaus. So that we can still kill him."

Caroline's eyes widened, and she looked at the girls with worry,"Elena... even if Klaus didn't create our bloodline, we know for a fact that he turned one of us."

It was a chain reaction; Meredith's eyes whipped to Evanna, who, in turn, gulped.

Elena raised her hand,"My memory is failing me. Someone help me out here."

Evanna bit her lip, and turned towards her cousin.

"If we kill Klaus, then Tyler will die."

* * *

"I can't believe Finn is dead."

Klaus rolled his eyes at his sister,"Good riddance. He was an embarrassment, Rebekah."

"He was still our brother, mind your tongue."

"Fine. Let's all say a prayer for Finn, who slept in a box longer than he lived as a man. He was a lovesick fool. He's better off in death."

Rebekah stormed over to Klaus,"Is that how you'd speak of me if I died?"

"Well, you let the Salvatores loose with two stakes that can kill us, so I guess we'll find out soon enough. And since when did you have a soft spot for them?"

"The Salvatores may fight like dogs, but in the end they would die for each other. At least they know what family means." Rebekah snapped, driving her point home,"You destroyed ours."

"I wanted a family. They just didn't want me, and now we're unlinked we're no longer responsible for each other."

"So you're leaving?"

"As soon as I get my stakes, I'm gone. I'm gonna take Evanna and use her blood to create a new family. Of hybrids."

"And if I choose to stay?"

"Then you're just as pathetic as Finn."

* * *

"Ah, you're still alive."

Damon rolled his eyes,"Yeah, for now. I need your stake."

Alaric walked over to the bookshelf he had in his cellar and pushed aside some of his books. Damon scoffed,"A bookshelf, really? At least I was trying to be clever about it."

"Where the hell is it?" Alaric mumbled under his breath. Damon arched an eyebrow,"Ha ha ha. Look harder, Rick."

"It's not here, Damon."

"Maybe you just forgot which shelf you put it on."

"No, I didn't forget. It's – I – I put it right here! A stake doesn't just vanish into thin air!"

"Who else did you tell, Ric?!"

"I didn't tell anybody, Damon! I'm the only…."

"What?"

"I'm the only one who knew about it, Damon."

"No..." Damon cursed softly under his breath,"Are you telling me that your vampire hating alter ego has a stake that can kill an entire line of vampires, possibly mine?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you."


	19. Chapter 19

**Vampire Diaries**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Evanna was woken up early the next morning.

It had been decided that they'd bring Jeremy home for his own safety (which sounded ridiculous to her, considering). Although, Damon just wanted to see if he could still contact ghosts, and subsequently contact Rose to find out who her sire was. Evanna suspected he was worried about Jeremy a little bit, but didn't say anything.

It was just a simple retrieve and leave, which was probably why everyone had agreed to let Evanna and Damon go alone after Meredith suggested it. Evanna had not stopped glaring at the girl since.

Evanna quickly drank the rest of her coffee, heaving a sigh. Hopefully something good would come from this trip.

_Hopefully_.

* * *

Stefan's grin was teasing as he pulled open the front door. It was so early, that it was still pitch black outside. Yeah, the sun hadn't even come up and that alone made Evanna cranky. She'd gone to bed early, around eleven, but had been asleep by one. She'd then had to wake up at four, and be at their house by five.

It sucked.

"Morning!" Stefan exclaimed, in a chirpy voice.

Evanna pushed passed him,"Shut. Up."

She headed downstairs to see if Alaric was awake, hearing Stefan's laughter behind her and rolling her eyes. Alaric was awake, sitting up on his bed. She perched on the end of it, crossing her legs,"Did Damon give you the books I sent over? Thought you might need some boring books to help you sleep."

"Thanks." Alaric nodded,"Uh, Jekyll and Hyde?"

Evanna grabbed the book and read the spine to make sure he wasn't kidding,"What? No, I grabbed…. Damon. Aw, it's cute that he thinks he's funny."

"At least one of us still has a sense of humor anyway."

Evanna rolled her eyes,"Where is he, anyway? Our flight leaves in an hour."

"He's out. I don't know where. So, you guys are flying to Denver, then?"

"It was either a two hour flight, or a day, an hour and fifty-one minutes in a car with Damon. I chose the lesser of two evils."

Alaric chuckled,"You're going to be alone with him on this trip."

"Mmhmm."

"Should I worry?"

"Oh, not you too!"

"What?"

Evanna shook her head,"Just Meredith... it's nothing."

Alaric nodded slowly,"So... changing the subject; did you guys find my stake?"

"No, you - the other you, hid it well. Sneaky little bastard."

Alaric snorted, and then turned serious again,"What's Klaus gonna do if you can't find it?"

"It's the only thing that will kill him, so wage war, murder people, you know Klaus stuff." Evanna grabbed Alaric's hand,"Listen, Stefan's gonna watch over you for a while. Elena will be over, but you know her, she'll probably be arranging some fancy dinner to welcome Jeremy back- even if we're coming back Wednesday, technically."

Alaric laughed,"Probably."

"Grams will be over too, I just don't know when. Monica left her with an eight year old, after all."

Damon appeared at the door,"You ready to go?"

Evanna sighed,"Sure."

She stood up and hugged Alaric. He whispered in her ear.

"Be careful."

* * *

Evanna wasted her time on the flight by listening to Caroline enthuse about how Matt and she had tricked Rebekah with the whole decade dance thing, and had to smile at how excited Caroline was about it.

Talking to Caroline had taken up an hour and a half of the flight, and the last half hour was going over their schedule with Damon. Evanna didn't even question how Damon had a car waiting for them, just like she didn't question how they'd been in first class.

Evanna had innocently texted Jeremy, asking him what he was up too. After he replied, Damon began to drive. Evanna was excited to see Jeremy again, so when she spotted him in batting cage, she was practically bouncing on her heels.

Damon frowned as Jeremy missed a pitch, and whispered to her,"Next time we compel him, remind me to make him better at baseball."

Evanna rolled her eyes and bounced up to the cage door,"Hey, Jer!"

Jeremy jumped at the overly excited voice, but broke out into a boyish grin when he saw her,"Ava!"

Then, he spotted Damon and frowned.

"What's going on...?"

* * *

"Katherine sired us, Rose sired Katherine, all we need to do is find out who sired Rose." Damon finished up his brief explanation, and waited for Jeremy's response.

"So, you traveled across the country to get me to talk to a dead vampire?"

"Dead vampire is redundant, but yes."

"Well, I can't. I could talk to Anna and Vicki because I knew them. I've never even met Rose."

"What good is you dying and coming back to life if you can't talk to a ghost when I need you to?"

Evanna scoffed and elbowed Damon in the ribs, even if he didn't get hurt by it,"Rose spent a long time running from Klaus as well. She and Damon were close, so maybe we can use him as a connection."

"Fine, fine, but can we do this later? My friend just got here and _yes_, Damon, I actually have friends. I'll call you when I'm done."

Jeremy walked passed them, and Evanna followed, opening her mouth to call him back. The words stopped on her tongue when she saw who Jeremy's 'friend' was. Evanna let out a squeak, and grabbed Damon's arm, squeezing it. Damon looked over his shoulder and realized why she'd frozen.

Damon had turned just in time to get smacked in the face by the bat Kol had been swinging. Damon fell to the ground as the wooden bat broke into pieces.

Jeremy frowned and yelled at Kol,"What are you doing?!"

"Jeremy, get back! He's an Original."

Jeremy's eyes flew to Evanna,"What?"

Kol picked up an aluminum bat,"No hard feelings mate, but we're not buds. You know, I'll never get use to aluminum. But hey, at least it won't break."

Evanna held up her hand to use her magic, but Kol sped over to Damon before she could react. Damon, however, matched his speed. Damon picked up the broken wooden bat beside him, and drove it through Kol's chest. The aluminum bat hit the floor with a metal thud, and Kol fell down beside it.

Damon, who was on his knees, used Evanna's arm to bring himself up. He then wrapped his hands around her upper arms, and led her over Kol's body.

Jeremy reached for Evanna's hand,"Is he dead?"

Damon shook his head,"No, but it'll give us a head start. Okay, come on."

Evanna pulled Jeremy out, and Damon followed behind, keeping an eye on Kol's body until he turned the corner.

* * *

Damon had driven them to a motel, and now they were taking the luggage from the trunk of his car. Jeremy began climbing the steps up to their motel room, and they followed.

Damon snorted,"For the record, she's the one who suggested a motel - not me."

Evanna rolled her eyes at the comment.

"So, where are we?" Jeremy asked, seeing as Damon had driven them out of Denver.

"Corner of somewhere and nowhere where Kol can't find us." Damon replied.

"I can't believe Kol was a vampire."

"Well, didn't you find it weird that you made a friend so fast? Have you met you?"

Jeremy rolled his eyes in response, and Evanna glanced back at Damon, shooting him a glare.

"Is there a mute button on you?"

* * *

"Alright Whoopi, what do you need?" Damon questioned, drawing the curtains closed once they stepped inside the motel room,"Candles? Incense? Pottery wheel?"

"That's not how it works."

"I know, I know." Damon rolled his eyes,"They push from the other side and you pull from this one."

"Alright," Jeremy sat down,"You got a picture of her?"

"From what? Our trip to Disneyland? Sorry, left it at home."

Evanna tried not to scowl at him - honestly, she did - and gave him a pointed look instead. Damon extended his arms a little, his eyes raking around the motel room.

"Come on, Rose, you're not actually gonna keep us waiting, are you? I know you're obsessed with me."

This time, Evanna did scowl, scoffing and rolling her eyed in his direction. Jeremy fought to keep the smirk from his face.

"Uh, tell me somethin' about her." The boy suggested.

"Sure, she does this thing with her tongue -"

"Not like that, Damon." Evanna quickly interrupted, ignoring the uncomfortable twinge in her stomach. This trip was a bad idea.

"She spent her last day in paradise. Soaking in the sun and reminiscing about what it means to be human. And when death came, she didn't fear it." Damon said seriously, his voice soft.

Evanna blinked, her gaze gentle when he locked eyes with her. Her conversation with Meredith came back to the centre of her mind and she was grateful for Jeremy's interruption.

"She's here."

* * *

"Is she... lonely, on the other side?" Evanna asked after some time. Jeremy glanced at the apparition seated on the bed, and the pixie-haired British woman shrugged, a small smile on her face.

"No," Rose shook her head,"I enjoy it. I was running around so much when I was alive, now I have the freedom to do what I want."

Jeremy nodded slowly, answering on her behalf with a little editing,"She says not to worry; she's happy."

Evanna smiled softly; she'd never had anything against Rose.

"Is she still hot?" Damon asked, smirking. Rose smirked back, even though he couldn't see it.

"Tell him he's still dripping with sex, too."

Jeremy gave her a look and she sighed,"Fine. Tell him I miss him."

Jeremy relaxed,"She misses you."

"And tell him I'm rooting for him and Evanna."

"Uh," Jeremy's eyes widened slightly,"She misses both of you."

"Unfortunately," Rose continued after a beat,"I don't have any news on the siring front. Klaus didn't sire me. No Original did. It was Mary Porter."

"She says someone named Mary Porter turned her."

Damon let out a chuckle,"Ah, Scary Mary... well, where is she, Rose?"

"I didn't keep track of her when I was alive, much less now. Tell them to sit tight, relax, I'll see what I can find out."

And just like that, Rose was gone.

* * *

"Think they've gotten Jeremy by now?" Alaric asked, taking a swig from a bottle of bourbon. Stefan checked his phone again, snatching the bottle and taking a drink of his own.

"They should. Haven't heard from them. Elena's worried about him; knowing that she can't count on his ring anymore."

"Who knows? Maybe _his_ alter ego is a pot smoking, hippie pacifist." Alaric mused.

"Yeah, maybe."

"I can't say, I thought mine would be so hostile and militant."

"That actually makes perfect sense. Your wife left you to become a vampire and your girlfriend was almost killed by one."

"You must really hate me." Alaric stared into the mirror at his own reflection,"Here I am, the failed hunter slash drinking buddy of vampires."

Stefan shrugged halfheartedly,"Ah, he's too judgmental."

"The thing is, he's me. I'm not compelled, I'm not possessed, there's no humanity switch. What drives him is me."

"No, no, he's not you," Stefan assured quickly,"He's the darkest parts of you. The parts we all have."

"Well, this is depressing, isn't it?"

The two of them glanced towards the door, where Klaus was stood by the doorway.

"Oh, and I found this upstairs." Klaus grinned, holding up the white ash stake,"Now, by my count, there should be one more..."

Stefan stood up,"Yeah, well, it's gonna take a little more time."

"Why? Because we're waiting for that one to pass out?" Klaus scoffed, pointing at Alaric,"No thanks. I think I'll just kill him."

Stefan stepped protectively in front of the history teacher,"Well, then you won't know the location of the other stake."

Klaus weighed his options, and nodded soundly,"I can live with that."

"Well, I can't. When we staked Finn, we discovered that killing an Original vampire killed its entire bloodline." Stefan revealed,"Now, I don't know which one of you I'm descended from, but I'd really rather not find out by dying, so why don't we just find the stake, destroy it, so we can all be safe?"

Klaus was unimpressed, sighing deeply,"So, the fate of the entire vampire race depends on you finding a stake? And to get it we need you to pass out. Which means that I feel totally justified doing this."

Klaus rushed passed Stefan, over to Alaric and snapped his neck. He let Alaric's body drop unceremoniously to the cot he used as a bed.

"There. Sleeping like a baby."

* * *

Damon paced outside the motel room, allowing the two cousins to catch up. He could hear the two youngest Gilberts laughing inside, and smiled softly as he waited for Stefan's phone call.

"There you are." He said as soon as he answered his phone,"Any sign of Evil-laric?"

"Nope, only dead Alaric."

Damon paused,"What?"

"Don't worry, he was wearing his ring. Klaus was here, let's just say he's not very patient."

"Kol must have told him we were in Denver... how long has Rick been out?"

"A few hours. I'm hoping, when he wakes up, it won't be him - it'll be the other him."

Damon nodded slowly,"And if not?"

"Yeah, I know. Whatever it takes. So, were you able to contact Rose?"

"Yes, no answers yet. So, we're stuck in this motel until she gets back to us."

"Right. Listen, don't tell Evanna or Jeremy about Rick, okay? Just bring 'em home."

"I will. Keep me posted, little brother."

* * *

"So, when do you think you'll be home?" Meredith's voice floated through the phone. Evanna leaned against the railing. Jeremy was fast asleep, and Damon was keeping an eye on him while she talked to Meredith.

"Uh, anywhere from tomorrow morning to tomorrow night. How's everything back home?"

"Fine. Elena and I have been sitting on our asses all day."

"So have we. We have to wait until Rose gets back to us before we can make any progress."

"And what about you and Damon? How's the progress there?"

"Mere..."

"Alright, fine, we don't talk about Damon."

"Thank you."

Evanna continued chatting to her best friend for a while, though the topic of Damon remained in her mind.

She didn't know why she didn't like discussing the nature of her relationship with Damon with her friends. They were her girlfriends, talking about boys came with the package.

Maybe it was because she knew, even if she wanted something to happen between her and Damon, she couldn't have it. She was still a witch, he was still a vampire, and they were already pushing the limit by being friends.

Evanna sighed heavily after hanging up, running a hand through her hair. This trip wasn't a good idea.

"Hey, you okay?"

Evanna jumped, whirling around to face the man in question.

She held her breath,"Uh, yeah. Everything's... fine."

She pursed her lips, searching her mind for something to say. Finally, she remembered something.

"You never told me, what you did for Rose. You know, the whole dream thingy..."

He just shrugged.

"Why don't you let people see the good in you?" Evanna asked suddenly, not knowing really why those words escaped her lips and internally kicking herself for it.

"Because when people see good, they expect good." He answered,"And I don't want to have to live up to anyone's expectations."

"What expectations?"

Damon was in front of her suddenly, and she was holding her breath again.

"The expectations to be perfect."

Evanna frowned,"That's ridiculous. Nobody can be perfect."

"And why is that?"

"Because what might be perfect to someone, is the complete opposite to someone else. You can only be who you are, and go from there."

"And what if who I am, isn't somebody good?" His voice was below a whisper, and he was standing so close that one step back would have her pressed against a pillar. She didn't move.

Evanna shook her head assertively,"That's not true."

"How can you be so sure? Everyone else is convinced otherwise."

"They don't get to see the side of you that I do."

"No," He agreed softly,"They don't."

His lips were close to hers, and everything Evanna had just told herself about self-control was completely wiped away.

He had a habit of doing that to her. Whenever she was in this position with him, she could think of nothing but him.

And she hated how much she liked it.

Evanna's own rose pink lips parted involuntarily,"Why is that?"

His lips barely touched hers, their noses bumping together softly.

"You know why..."

"Uh, Evanna?" They heard Jeremy's voice call, and in a second, Damon was a good few feet away from her. Evanna took a deep breath, her eyes refusing to meet Damon's.

The ball of frustration was rising into her throat, and she pushed it down, hoping she looked composed as Damon did when Jeremy found them.

"What's up, Jer?"

"Rose found Mary. She lives in Kansas." Jeremy said slowly, glancing between them in confusion. He was already suspicious, what with the comment Rose had made earlier.

"Okay then," Damon nodded coolly,"Let's go."

Damon passed by Jeremy without another word, leading the teenager to raise a questioning eyebrow in Evanna's direction. She shook her head, looping a strand of curly hair behind her ear.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. We should go."

* * *

The house Damon parked outside was nothing short of terrifying. It looked as though nobody had lived there for a long while, and sense of isolation it evoked in Evanna made her shiver. They climbed out of the car, waiting a few moments to take in the sight of it.

"This is the address," Jeremy confirmed, checking the scrap of paper he'd scribbled on. Damon pursed his lips.

"Seems about right."

Evanna glanced over the hood of the car at Jeremy,"Stay here."

Unhappy with that, Jeremy sighed but relented, leaning against the side of the car. Evanna tossed him a small smile.

The inside of the house wasn't much better. Evanna produced a measly excuse for a flashlight, switching it on and sweeping it over the decrepit house. Damon brushed his fingertip alone the mantlepiece, grimacing at the dust.

"Oof, it's like Vampire Hoarders."

Evanna's eyes roamed over the house,"So, who is this Mary girl? And why do you call her Scary Mary?"

"Because she's really old, and super creepy."

"That's comforting. How do you know her?"

"I dated her."

"You dated everyone."

"You calling me a whore?"

"Not just any whore," Evanna set a hand on his shoulder, grinning teasingly,"You're _special_."

Damon chuckled,"That's cute."

He was about to say something else, but a loud crash from the other room startled them both.

Evanna's eyes widened, following Damon towards the door. Damon pulled it open swiftly, revealing a bedroom. The beam of Evanna's flashlight landed immediately on the body. The woman's head was down, her skin gray, and she was pinned to the wall by a stake through her heart. Evanna yelped, muffling it behind her palm as she slightly stepped back.

"Mary," Damon sighed.

The lights flipped on in the bedroom, revealing Kol. Sat in an armchair, he wielded his new found favorite baseball bat, and smirked at them.

"Quite contrary..." He stood up, and began pacing in front of them,"Shame about Mary, she used to be a blast. Don't quite know what happened. I fear all the time she spent with my family might have ruined her. She was a bit of an Original groupie."

Evanna folded her arms,"And what, you were her favorite?"

"You mean, did I turn her? I think I did. But no, wait, maybe it was Rebekah. There was also a Klaus period. And let's not forget the Elijah affair..." Kol's smirk stopped on Damon,"I spoke to my brother, I know you're trying to find out who you descended from. Now you never will. So, where did we leave off?"

Kol sped towards Damon, hitting him hard with the bat. Damon fell to the ground.

"Evanna, get out of here." Damon gritted his teeth.

Just as he made another swing, Evanna stepped forward, using her magic to fling Kol against the wall. He dropped the bat, colliding painfully with the wardrobe, which he smashed. She'd taken on Klaus alone, she could handle Kol alongside Damon.

Kol pulled himself up, breathing heavily. Evanna remained on the defensive, standing in front of Damon, who was struggling to get to his own feet.

"My brother says your off limits," Kol snapped,"Please don't test me."

He rushed her, grabbing her by the throat and slamming her against the floor. _Oh_, she thought, _that's gonna bruise._

Damon was up again, and tackling Kol.

"Don't touch her."

Kol chuckled darkly, throwing Damon off him easily, retrieving his bat from the floor.

"Oh dear, I've hit a nerve. Relax, darling, I just want us to be even. You snapped my neck, you killed my brother, and then you humiliated me."

He hit Damon a few times, eventually breaking the bat, and then dropped the remaining shards of wood to the ground unceremoniously.

"There, we're even."

* * *

"Why are all the Originals such dicks?" Damon winced, helping Evanna up.

She shrugged, setting her hand on his chest,"Is your arm okay?"

"Dislocated," He popped it back into place, ignoring her grimace,"How's your noggin?"

"I think my time as a witch has helped me build up a resistance to head trauma"

Damon brushed part of her hair back, examining the rapidly bruising area of her forehead,"You're gonna have a bump."

"I'm a big girl."

Damon's hand slipped down to cup her cheek,"How many fingers am I holding up?"

"None." Evanna laughed quietly,"I'm not concussed."

Damon swallowed, hesitantly considering his next question.

"Are we gonna talk about what happened? At the motel?"

Evanna reached up and removed his hand from her face, holding it for a second before stepping away from him,"There's nothing to say."

Damon's brows furrowed,"I know how this goes; you and I take one step forward, and _you _take two steps back. And as for the girls? They hate leaving you alone with me, so why were so they so okay with you coming here with me, _alone_? Why would _Meredith _even suggest it? She's definitely not my biggest fan."

Evanna bit the inside of her bottom lip,"She... she thinks I have feelings for you."

That threw him, she could tell. He swallowed.

"Do you?"

Evanna faltered,"I... I don't know. I'm not used to ... _this_."

"Hm. I guess you thought this little trip could help you figure that out, didn't you?"

Evanna sighed, shaking her head,"No."

"Or maybe you were hoping I'd screw it up, so I could just make the decision for you, am I wrong?"

"Damon -"

"_Am I wrong?_"

"Yes! No! I don't know! You _do _sabotage things for yourself, but that's an entirely different point." Evanna took a deep breath,"Look, it doesn't matter what I thought this trip would do, or what I feel, there's always gonna be a bump in the road."

Damon stepped closer,"What if there was no bump?"

"I... I never considered that."

"Well, maybe you should. You know where I stand, so I need to know where you stand. And nobody can figure that out but you."

* * *

They drove home, and the awkward atmosphere filling the car was stifling. Evanna stared out her window the entire time at the falling rain, thinking about Damon's words. He was right, she knew that, but there was this wall of irrational apprehensiveness that she couldn't get passed. She felt terrible.

Great, now she was gonna be stuck with serious thoughts all night. She felt eyes on her, and risked a glance in Damon's direction. His blue eyes blazed into hers, but guilt welled up in her chest, and she looked away, allowing one side of her hair to form a curtain between them.

Jeremy was silent in the back, though the air of confusion surrounded him. Damon and Evanna had been up and down all night.

"Are we there yet?"

Jeremy almost jumped, spotting Rose sitting beside him.

"Don't tell them I'm here," She said quickly,"They had a ... serious talk. I know you don't like it; you want to protect her from him, but... you're young. You don't see what I see.

But maybe you will, one day. As soon as they wake up and see it for themselves."

And then Rose was gone, and Jeremy was left to mull over her words.

* * *

**Well, I apologize again for the delay. I was taking care of my flu ridden sister, and ended up catching what she had. Thanks for that, sis. I appreciate it, I really do.**

**So, anyway, we're almost done season 3 and then I'll be moving onto the original story involving Damon and Evanna, so hopefully that's exciting.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, don't forget to review and the next chapter will be up in a few days :)**

**~ Megan (EmBee)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Vampire Diaries**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

They were sure something was wrong with Alaric. Something other than what was already wrong with him.

Evil-rick was something, but regular, suddenly secretive, Rick was something else, and the sudden change had everyone on edge, even if they didn't want to admit it

"Where've you been?" Damon asked, stepping off the last step, his phone pressed to his ear,"I've been calling you all day."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I just needed to get my head together." Alaric's voice reassured.

"So I take it Rebekah got the stake?"

Stefan had explained everything to Damon the night before; Klaus and Rebekah wanted to know where the stake was, Stefan had to resort to Alaric-consented violence in order to bring Evil-rick out, and eventually, Evil-rick fessed up.

"I don't know. I woke up alone. There's no sign of it."

"Lovely." Damon quipped,"What now?"

"Well I ... I think I need to get out of town. Somewhere secluded. I keep blacking out which means I'm still a threat to everyone."

Damon paused,"I don't know if right now is the best time for you to be going on a spirit quest, Rick."

"It's just for a couple of days. I'm stocked up on Ava's herbs, so I should be fine. Listen, I gotta go."

Damon opened his mouth, and shut it, his lips pressed in a thin line. He stared at the 'call ended' sign on the screen of his phone and grumbled, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

Shaking his head, he pocketed his phone and went about getting ready for the day.

* * *

Rebekah strode into the room, arms folded and a smirk on her face. _No,_ Alaric reminded himself, _Esther._

From what he'd gathered, Esther was close to death, and in order to save her self, she'd gotten Rebekah to agree to possession. There was still a small part of Alaric that knew this would only lead to bad things.

"Quite the cunning liar."

"Well Damon is too arrogant to think his only friend would betray him." Alaric replied.

"Just as Niklaus would blindly accept an invitation from his beloved sister, unaware that he is heading to his own death." Esther smiled, dipping the silver dagger into a glass jar of white oak ash.

Alaric watched her,"Did you give him the stake?"

"He burned it without hesitation."

"So where's the real one?"

Esther stopped,"You'll get it when it can no longer be used against me in this body."

Esther approached the coffin, unlatching it and pulling it open, revealing her true form that lay still inside. Alaric narrowed his eyes.

"So how do you..."

"How do I return to my true form? With a little magic and some help from a vampire hunter."

Esther held out the silver dagger, and Alaric took it. A second later, he was plunging it into her body.

* * *

"Wait, I thought Alaric was trying to pull himself together." Meredith frowned as she and Evanna walked through the double doors.

Caroline and Elena had called them down to help decorate for yet another decade dance.

"He is, but I'm telling you, Mere, there is something not right."

"Have you talked to Damon about it?"

"I... haven't really talked to Damon since we left Denver."

Meredith frowned,"Why not?"

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"Hey! Thank God you two are here!" Caroline exclaimed,"This place is a mess!"

"It looks okay to me." Evanna shrugged, and picked up a small chandelier,"Where do you want me to hang this?"

"You know what, if Rebekah wanted to hang these monstrosities, she should have shown up to do it herself." Caroline grumbled, handing the chandelier to a passing student,"Just no!"

The blonde caught sight of Matt and Jeremy and she stormed off towards them.

"What are you doing? You can't just hang them! They're supposed to trickle down."

Matt swatted Jeremy's arm, imitating Caroline hilariously,"Trickle, duh!"

They joined Elena at a table. Elena smiled over at the two boys.

"Look at them, all bromance-y." Meredith commented.

"Yeah I asked Matt to help Jeremy readjust." Elena nodded,"He got him his old job back at the Grill."

"That was nice of him," Evanna said distractedly, picking up a ribbon and running it through her fingers.

"Jeremy has got a lot on his mind. The whole thing with Alaric has got him really stressed out."

Meredith raised an eyebrow,"Have _you _talked to either of the Salvatores about that?"

Elena shook her head,"I figured Evanna would."

"I didn't." Evanna sighed heavily,"So, what is the decade we're doing?"

"The 20's." Elena reminded her,"Mere, are you bringing Jamie?"

"Of course." Meredith grinned,"What about you? You should ask Stefan."

"I'm thinking I might. He's not so ripper-y lately."

Evanna dropped the ribbon,"Are you guys gonna get back together - officially, I mean?"

Elena blushed, smiling softly,"I think so."

"Good," Caroline chirped, rejoining them,"Because Stefan is your epic love."

Caroline sighed dreamily, and Evanna laughed, drawing the girl's eyes onto herself.

"What about you? We all have dates."

"So do I," Evanna nodded,"With the couch."

Meredith frowned,"You're not going to the dance?"

"I'm not in a dance mood."

"Okay, what is wrong with you? Ever since you came back from Denver, you've been all... quiet." Elena said.

"I've just... I have a lot on my mind."

"And a dance is the perfect way to distract yourself." Caroline reasoned,"Why don't you ask Damon?"

It was meant teasingly, but Evanna wasn't in the mood.

"Why would I do that?"

Caroline frowned,"I was kidding, Ava."

Meredith tilted her head,"Is something going on that you're not telling us about?"

Evanna looked up at Elena, then to Meredith and then to Caroline. She picked up another chandelier.

"I'm gonna go... hang this."

* * *

After a good bit of prodding, her friends had convinced Evanna to attend the dance, if only for an hour. She figured it couldn't hurt - her obvious distraction was evoking suspicion.

Caroline had brought over her outfit and everything. The dress was a beautiful salmon pink, came to mid-thigh, and had a deep v neck. Tiered tassels covered every inch of it.

It wasn't too revealing, but if some people saw her, they would no longer view her as _'little _Evanna Gilbert'...

Evanna slipped her arms through a white cardigan, sitting down on her bed in order to slip on her white heels, fastening the straps of each shoe. Her hair was pulled to one side, her curls tumbling down her shoulder. A white headband stretched perfectly across her forehead.

When she had arrived, the party had been in full swing. Matt roped her into a dance or two, as had Tyler, Jeremy and Stefan, and she was all danced out.

Standing away from everyone, Evanna absentmindedly brushed her fingertip on the rim of her red plastic cup. Since arriving back in Mystic Falls just three days before, Evanna had not stopped thinking about what had transpired between herself and Damon in Denver. Her brain just wouldn't shut off. Feeling eyes on her, she looked up to see the girls staring at her. Elena gave her a smile, and she felt her phone buzz in the pocket of her cardigan.

_(1) New Message(s) From: Elena._

_You okay over there?_

Evanna looked up and sent a small smile back, nodding softly. She typed up a reply, watching the animated envelope woosh away.

_Too crowded. Gonna get some air._

Stepping into the hallway, she head towards Alaric's classroom for a breather. Flipping on the light switch, she gasped, her hand flying to her chest, when she spotted Damon, sat in Alaric's chair with his legs propped up on the desk, crossed at the ankles.

Her hand dropped to her side as she exhaled,"What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you. And, making sure our favorite history teacher doesn't turn up. Something's wrong."

"I noticed." Evanna remained standing by the door,"If Alaric is sick then we need to find a cure or something."

"We tried medicine, and we tried magic..." Damon sighed, planting his feet on the ground.

"Why don't we get him off vervain, compel him?" Evanna suggested, folding her arms over herself.

"What, to pretend to be Alaric?" Damon stood up,"The guy that we know is gone. We're talking about someone who not only hates vampires, but vampire sympathizers. Which makes one of his most obvious targets, I don't know, _you_!"

"What makes you think he'll go after me?"

Damon gave her a pointed look and she remembered back, absentmindedly brushing her hand over the spot Alaric had stabbed her. She grimaced slightly.

"Okay, wait, no, scratch that - what are you suggesting we do?"

"It's simple; put him out of his misery."

"What?!" Evanna exclaimed, her hand flying up and partially covering her mouth. Jeremy suddenly walked through the door.

"No, that's not an option. There's no way in hell."

"Oh come on, It's what he would want. It's a mercy killing."

"You are out of your mind!"

Evanna set a hand on Jeremy's chest,"Go get Elena and Stefan."

"Evanna -"

"_Go_."

Jeremy sighed, but eventually exited the room. Evanna closed the door behind him, rounding back on Damon.

"Damon, this is Alaric we're talking about."

"I know that."

"Do you?" Evanna asked,"We are not_ killing_ Alaric."

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"Nothing yet. This isn't your decision to make."

"What if I don't have a choice?"

Evanna stared back at him, her light brown eyes steady.

"There's _always _a choice."

With that, Evanna stormed out, running her hands over her face. She turned the corner, bumping into a familiar face.

"Esther?"

"If you wish to help your friend Alaric, I suggest you come with me."

"What did you do to Alaric?"

"He's safe, but willingly or not, you will come with me."

Evanna sighed, shaking her head.

"Lead the way."

* * *

They were walking through the cemetery, Evanna growing increasingly anxious by the second.

"You'll forgive me for taking you from the dance this evening. That's the burden of being the Electi, I'm afraid. Your blood is a potent binding agent for a witch's spell."

"It's fine. Not one for dances anyway. Just know, if you hurt Alaric, I will have to kill you."

"She's not hurting me."

"Rick!" Evanna rushed over to him, only to stop half way.

Yep, something was wrong. Her glaring eyes went to Esther again.

"Okay, what's the what? What are you doing with him?"

Esther smiled,"I'm remaking him."

"Re... what? Remaking him into what?"

"A stronger, faster being, like my children. Indestructible. For one final time I'm going to tap into the dark magic I used a thousand years ago. Like my husband Mikael before him, I will make Alaric into a true hunter, a vampire to end all vampires."

"That all sounds good on paper, but what happens if you make him into an even bigger monster than your children combined?" Evanna ventured,"What's your plan then?"

"He won't now that he has embraced his darkest aspect his hatred for them will become more pure and uncompromising. In death that hatred will be magnified."

"You don't know that," Evanna disagreed,"You don't know anything about him."

"That is where you're wrong. Each time he died with that ring during his brief journey into death I was there on The Other Side. I spoke to him, I nurtured him knowing that every death brought him closer to his true self. Vampires took everything from him. Now he's getting his vengeance."

* * *

Damon was fuming. That stupid bitch Esther had not only taken Evanna, but had trapped the vampires inside the school.

Humans could come and go as they pleased, but the immortal beings were stuck. The only way they knew Esther was responsible was because Jeremy had seen her and alerted them. Which brought Damon to his next avenue of rage.

Why in the hell would Evanna go willingly with Esther?

What was she thinking? _Was _she actually thinking?

Damon halted his pacing, re-entering the classroom where Sheila was getting set up. Jamie had been the one to call her, and the woman had wasted no time in rushing to the school. Elena, Stefan, Jeremy, Meredith and Jamie stood at various corners in the room, watching Sheila.

Klaus was becoming impatient; Stefan had gotten him involved. Damon was still convinced that had been a _bad_ move.

"What's taking so long?" The Original hybrid huffed,"All boundary spells have a loop hole!"

Sheila ignored him, continuing to chant under her breath.

Matt stepped into the classroom behind Damon,"People are walking right out of the dance, past the barrier."

Jeremy pushed his body from the wall, pointing something that had been floating across his mind out to the rest of them,"You know, Matt, Elena, Meredith, Jamie and I can leave, we can stop Esther ourselves. We just gotta find out where she is..."

Stefan sighed, shaking his head,"That's suicide, Jer."

Klaus growled low in his throat and swung around, grabbing Jamie by the throat,"Suicide would be disappointing me! Now work your magic, witch or I'll start killing people you fancy."

Sheila turned around, her face stoic but deadly all the same,"Let him go..."

"Not until you get us out of here."

Sheila narrowed her eyes, and the flames around her rose. Klaus dropped Jamie, backing up and holding his head, crying out in agony. He recovered quickly, rushing towards her, his true face revealed and hungry for the kill, but was intercepted by Damon, who threw him back, and pinned him down.

Stefan joined him in holding Klaus down, and Damon glanced over at Evanna's grandmother.

"You might want to hurry up with that spell..." He turned to Klaus,"Haven't you learned by now not to mess with a Bennett witch? I suggest you behave unless you want a whole horde of angry witches on your tail."

"They can't kill me," Klaus snarled back. Stefan held him down tighter.

"No, but they can make you wish they could."

* * *

"Rick," Evanna's tone was pleading,"You don't want this. It's not _you_."

"You don't know who I am, Evanna. You only know the weakest parts of me, the man who lost his way befriending vampires instead of killing them."

She shook her head,"You don't mean that."

"They're all monsters," He continued,"The blood of their victims is on my hands."

"No, it's not!"

"When you are ready," Esther interjected, with a slight nod.

Alaric nodded back, moving towards her.

Evanna tried to move forward, only to be held back by an invisible force. She growled. _Are you kidding me?!_

"Rick, please, don't! Don't do this." He ignored her, so she turned to Esther,"I'm not gonna give you my blood."

"You don't have that choice," Esther said softly, and suddenly, a searing hot pain struck her wrist.

Evanna gasped, staring down at the long cut across her wrist that had just appeared. Her blood dripped down her wrist, the crimson liquid staining the side of her dress with tiny little droplets. Esther grabbed her bloody wrist forcefully, holding it over a bowl so that her blood dripped into it.

Evanna yanked her wrist back with an equal force, tying one sleeve of her cardigan tightly around the wound. Esther completed her process of melting Alaric's ring, and mixed both that and Evanna's blood before passing him the bowl.

"Drink, and let it be done."

Evanna gripped her throbbing wrist, tears welling up,"Rick, no! _Please_!"

Once again, her begging went ignored as Alaric drank down the contents of the bowl. He set it down again.

"Is it done?"

Esther picked up the indestructible white oak stake she'd made,"Not yet."

Alaric grunted in pain as soon as the stake pierced his stomach, and Evanna lunged forward, only to remember she was stuck in place. Her hand flew over her mouth, the wound momentarily forgotten as the physical pain gave way to her emotional turmoil. Tears cascaded down her cheeks as she watched Alaric fall to the ground, dead.

"No!"

* * *

"Sheila, what's wrong?" Elena asked, concern flooding her face when the woman suddenly gripped the edges of the desk.

"Esther is fighting me," Sheila explained through gritted teeth. Klaus, who had surrendered after a while, shook his head angrily.

"Esther couldn't possibly have this much power. Unless, she's channeling something."

"Like Evanna?" Matt asked. Klaus's eyebrows furrowed.

"Even with Evanna's power, she wouldn't be strong enough." He considered something, and then grumbled, straightening up. He addressed Sheila.

"Get the humans ready," He ordered,"I know where she is."

* * *

"They're at the old cemetery. Jeremy, Elena, Meredith and Matt are headed there right now. Jamie stayed back to help Sheila." Stefan explained to Caroline and Tyler in the hallway.

"You let them go?!" Caroline exclaimed,"They're gonna get themselves killed!"

"I didn't have a choice, Caroline. We're useless right now stuck in here."

Tyler set a hand on Caroline's shoulder,"Hey, they'll be okay. If they find Evanna, they're not completely defenseless."

Caroline took a deep, calming breath,"Right. Evanna's a witch, she's okay, they'll all be okay."

Stefan nodded, his eyes soft,"This stuff always happens to us, and we always bounce back. Hold onto that. Right now, I'm just as worried about what Esther is up to. She lead Klaus here for a reason. If she succeeds in whatever she's doing -"

"Klaus could get killed." Tyler cut him off,"And I die along with him."

"No one is gonna die, okay?" Stefan assured,"Sheila is still looking for a way around the boundary spell. It's not too late."

Stefan turned on his heel and rejoined the others in the classroom. Caroline ran her hand over her face.

"So, best case scenario: Sheila gets us out of here, Klaus hauls ass to Timbuktu and, you and I, we're home free."

"Or we let Esther come and kill him."

"That's not a best case scenario. That's not even a remotely acceptable scenario!" The blonde exclaimed.

"It would be an option if we knew he wasn't the one who turned your bloodline. You'd be safe. At least he would be gone." Tyler reasoned.

Caroline pouted, her forehead creasing and her blue eyes sparkling with tears.

"How could you say that?"

"Because I'm angry. Because I hate him! I should have never let him dance with you!"

"What were you supposed to do? He can't know that you're not sired anymore. Tyler, it doesn't matter how many times I dance with him. I love you."

Tyler smiled softly, pulling her in for a kiss.

* * *

Evanna sat beside Alaric's body, angrily wiping the tears from her face. She had removed the stake from his chest.

"He'll wake soon." Esther announced,"When he does he may for a time be his old self. If so you can say your goodbyes before his transition is complete."

"You said you wanted to undo the evil that you created, but this...This is just as evil. I now know where your children get it from."

"Alaric will never be what my children became. I have granted him enough power to complete his task. Then when the time is right, the hunter will die." Esther tried to explain, calmly.

Evanna stood up, facing her,"How, if he's immortal?"

"All you need to know is that when this is over we will have rid the earth of vampires once and for all."

"Not all of them are bad. You'll be killing the good ones too, and _that _makes you just as bad as Klaus."

"Does it? I desire a world where you and your loved ones will not suffer at the hands of vampires, like your Aunt Jenna did."

Evanna sent a wave of power Esther's way, knocking her back as though she'd been shoved harshly.

"Don't you dare use her as an excuse for your idiocy."

Esther rushed her, knocking her back against a tree and standing over her,"I'm stronger than you, child. I could kill you in a second."

Evanna stared back,"No, you _were_ stronger, when you had your _own _powers. Now, you're just a magical mooch."

Esther was about to retort, when they both heard something in the trees. Matt and Jeremy appeared, each holding guns that were aimed at Esther, Elena and Meredith standing behind them.

Evanna quickly pulled herself to her feet,"Guys!"

"Let her go." Jeremy demanded, his gaze never wavering.

"How foolish of you, to risk your lives in defense of those who will kill you. But if that is your choice."

With a flick of her wrist, Esther made it so their weapons were aimed at each other.

"Drop your gun!" Jeremy called to Matt, who shook his head helplessly.

"I can't, I'm not controlling it."

Evanna raised her hand, closing her eyes and channeling her power, but she couldn't get enough. With the blood loss from her rapidly bleeding wrist, the adrenaline, and the huge wave of power she'd already used, she was spent.

But she wasn't alone.

Just as Esther made another move against the boys, Alaric appeared behind her and stabbed her from behind. As Esther fell to the ground, Alaric looked around himself wildly.

"Oh my god. Where's my ring? Tell me what happened."

* * *

They were still in the old cemetery, only now, they were in the Salvatore family crypt.

Matt and Jeremy had gone to meet the vampires by the body. Elena and Meredith were gone to get a first aid kit for Evanna's wrist and Evanna and Alaric were seated across from each other.

"Damon's here," Evanna said, checking the text on her phone,"Klaus is taking Esther's body."

"Does he know about the stake?"

"No, only that she tried to turn you into a weapon and failed." Evanna sighed heavily.

"Listen, Ava, I'm not gonna complete the transition. My dark side was dangerous enough as a human. I can't be a vampire."

"What?" Evanna whispered, her eyes filling with tears. Alaric wanted to die? No. Evanna shook her head. This couldn't be happening.

"It's the right thing to do, okay? After everything that's happened, after all that I have done. Maybe I had it coming."

"Alaric, nothing that happened was your fault." Evanna cried. This was the second time in one night she'd cried, but she was too tired to care.

Alaric reached out, took her hand and squeezed it,"Please, let's not make this any harder than it already is. You should go. Damon's here. He'll make sure it'll all go down the right way."

Evanna wrenched her hand away from his, standing up,"No, okay, _no_! There is no way that _anyone _can let you die the _right _way. Don't give me some speech about how everything was leading to this. You're _family_, Rick. What about Elena and Jeremy?"

"They'll understand."

"No, they won't!" Evanna cried,"Nobody will!"

Damon entered then, and approached Evanna with gentle eyes,"Evanna, maybe you should go."

Evanna jerked away from his comforting touch, staring at him blearily and then looking back at Alaric.

Wordlessly, she turned away from them and left the crypt, letting the door slam behind her. She bypassed her friends, walking further and further into the woods until she was far, far away. Then, she slid down, her back against a tree, and cradled her head in her hands as she sobbed.

* * *

Everyone had gone home, leaving Damon with Alaric.

Abby, who'd come down to say her goodbye after Meredith tearfully called her, emerged from the tomb, stopping in front of him.

"I gave him a sedative. He'll fall asleep first. He'll go comfortably."

"Well…I offered to snap his neck, put him out of his misery but…he didn't take me up on it."

"You seem surprised," Abby frowned.

Damon took a swig from the bottle of whiskey he'd brought,"Well, you just think a guy so used to dying, wouldn't want to drag it out."

"Well, it was nice of you to give him the option..."

"Hmm…apparently my choices have been a little controversial lately."

"You shouldn't leave him alone in there."

"That's what he wants."

"Is it really what you think he wants?"

Damon watched her go, and then turned, and entered the tomb. Alaric lay slumped against the wall, his eyes glazed over slightly.

"Aw, Rick..."

"Is this the part where you give me a dream? Rainbows and rolling green hills?"

"I was drunk when I told you that."

"Yeah and I told you I'd use it against you."

"Damn you." Damon growled halfheartedly, sliding down to sit beside him,"Sorry I killed you. _Twice_."

"So I have to actually die to get a real apology out of you."

Damon rolled his eyes, offering him the whiskey bottle,"Drink?"

"Actually, I've been thinking about cutting back."

Damon raised an eyebrow, his chuckle void of amusement,"Ha, yeah! This stuff will kill ya."

Alaric wasn't ashamed of the tear that fell, and he took the offered bottle. Damon pursed his lips, his eyes troubled.

They sat in silence after that.

* * *

Evanna didn't know how long she'd been sitting there.

Her phone read past midnight, on the 15th of November, 2011. Elena had texted her, asking where she was, and she'd told her she was staying at Sheila's. Elena wouldn't question it. She just sat there, in the woods, staring.

She couldn't feel anything. Not even the pain she knew she was feeling. She was almost... catatonic.

She had screamed, she had cried, she had released her anger, and now, there was... nothing.

The wind picked up, making her frown. Suddenly, she was grabbed and stood face to face with Esther.

Evanna was about to scream, only to black out.

* * *

Damon sat silently next to Alaric as the man slipped into unconsciousness. His heavy breathing evened out, and then stopped completely.

Damon sniffled quietly, refusing to let that dam burst and instead, drained the rest of the whiskey bottle. He set it down, but not before saluting Alaric.

"Until next time, buddy."

He stood, exiting the tomb, intent on checking on Evanna before going home. He frowned, however, when she appeared through the trees.

"Hey," He called softly,"What are you doing here?"

No answer. Evanna walked towards him slowly.

"Evanna...?"

She passed him, and he reached out, grabbing her wrist. Suddenly, he experienced multiple aneurysms, the spell of choice for the Bennett witches, and fell to the ground, gripping his head in pain.

"Evanna, stop!" He coughed out,"Evanna!"

She sent one last powerful attack his way, knocking him unconscious and entering the tomb. Stoically, she picked up the white oak stake and slashed her other wrist with it, positioning the dripping blood over Alaric's slightly parted lips and waiting.

Alaric's eyes snapped open, and in a second, he was up, and tearing into her neck.

* * *

**Yay! Another chapter! I have been so sick since the last update, but I'm slightly better and being stuck at home is boring! So, an update was born.**

**God, I hated this episode. It was great, but ... Damon and Alaric, man. Their bromance makes me cry.**

**What's worse is I had my ipod on shuffle, and when I was writing the Damon/Alaric scenes, 'Be Still' by The Fray came on, and in case any of you doesn't get the reference, that song was used as Alaric's goodbye song, if you will.**

**Naturally, there were tears.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and can't wait for the reviews. They make me happy :)**

**Now if you excuse me, I'm going to find ice cream, crawl up in a ball on the couch, watch Alaric/Damon videos on YouTube and cry... a lot.**

**~ Megan**


	21. Chapter 21

**Vampire Diaries**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

A groan slipped from his lips as Damon's eyes slowly opened to focus on the rising sunlight overhead.

His fingers dug into the leaves beneath him and he blew out a breath, shaking his head as a flood of memories hit him.

In a second, he was standing, and speeding into the crypt. His blue eyes roamed frantically around the floor, taking in the scene. Evanna lay on the floor, slumped on her side, and Alaric and the stake were gone. Damon fell to the ground beside her, gently propping her up, biting into his wrist.

"Don't..."

Damon paused, his lips still on his skin. Slowly, he pulled away and looked down at Evanna. Her eyes were open, and she was wincing as she turned her head up to look at him. She placed a hand against his chest, pushing herself back and using the wall to push herself up so she was standing.

"I don't need it. I'm fine."

Evanna looked around at the scene and then down at her blood covered wrists. Fighting the nausea in her stomach, she placed a hand over her mouth and turned away.

She inhaled a shaky breath,"Did I...? Is Alaric... did I turn him? I-I can't even remember, I... Oh, God..."

"Evanna..."

"I need to... I can't..." Evanna stumbled out of the crypt, Damon close behind and she dropped, emptying the contents of her stomach. Damon pulled her hair back and rubbed tiny circles in the small of her back as she continued to heave, and cough.

Evanna slumped back and it took him a second to realize she had passed out.

* * *

The rhythmic sensation of her soft breath on his neck reassured him as Damon carried Evanna into the Salvatore house, speeding her upstairs and laying her on his bed.

He rushed into his bathroom, wetting a towel and coming back out. Her blood was staining his bedsheets, but at that moment in time, he couldn't care. Damon momentarily considered giving her his blood, he couldn't stand seeing the wounds marring her flesh, but in her state, he didn't want to risk upsetting her any further.

He dabbed the wound on her neck, wiping the blood away and she winced, her eyes snapping open again. She flew up, gasping and he hurried to wrap his arms around her, stopping her from flying off the bed.

"Hey, it's okay. You're safe."

"We need to find Alaric." Evanna began struggling against him, and he tightened his grip.

"Evanna, stop, you can barely stand. Just... stop."

She complied, running a hand through her hair. He sat in front of her, gently tipping her chin up to lock eyes with her.

"Take a breath."

Evanna nodded, and exhaled on a sigh,"What happened last night?"

"What do you mean what happened?" He said, a little harsher than he'd meant,"You turned into Evanna the blood bag."

He relaxed a bit when she set that all too familiar glare on him and rolled her eyes,"I know that, but... everything is fuzzy. I don't remember much other than... Esther."

Damon's brows furrowed,"Esther? She's dead."

"Yeah, but she... she was there. She - she must have possessed me, or something. I don't know."

"How could she possess you? You're stronger than that." Damon said, finishing his process of tending to her wounds. Two bandages around her wrists, and one on the side of her neck was what she ended up with.

"I let my guard down," She admitted meekly,"I was too upset to think straight."

When she looked at him, the saddest look was in her eyes, and it broke his heart.

"Why does this stuff always happen to us? Why do everyone we love get hurt?"

"I don't know," Damon said softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face,"I wish I knew."

Evanna bit her bottom lip, and then let it go, sniffling.

"I just want it all to stop."

Damon thought he genuinely heard both of their hearts break in that moment, and he wrapped an arm around her back, and the other cradled her head to his chest.

"C'mere, sh. It's okay."

"It's not okay," Evanna sobbed, burying her head into his neck,"It'll never be okay."

* * *

After a while, Evanna calmed down enough to pull away from him, and he took her home. Stefan answered the door, took one look at the bandages and raised his questioning gaze to Damon.

"We have a problem," The older Salvatore stated.

Stefan paced in front of them as Damon set a cup of coffee down in front of Evanna.

"What do you mean he turned? I thought you were standing guard!"

Damon rolled his pretty blue eyes,"I _was_."

"It was my fault," Evanna cut in,"I let Esther overpower me."

"It's not your fault." Both brothers cut in at the same time.

Evanna sighed, standing up,"_My_ blood turned him, which puts _me _at fault. I'm not a little girl, guys."

Stefan exhaled,"So, where's the stake now?"

"Oh, you mean the white oak one? The one that can kill an Original and wipe out an entire line of vampires? We don't know." Damon grunted,"I should have just killed Alaric myself instead of letting him die with dignity..."

"Alright," Stefan began,"So how do we kill him now?"

"I've been trying to figure that out." Evanna told him,"A witch can't truly make an immortal creature, there is always a way to undo a spell."

"So, what's the witchy work around?"

Evanna tensed, running a hand over her face tiredly,"That's the problem. I don't know. Uh, if you guys don't mind, I'm gonna get changed into something ... less bloody."

* * *

Once she had changed into a simple pair of grey jeans, an oversized red sweater and red flats, she looked around the rest of her house. Jeremy and Elena were in Elena's room, talking quietly amongst themselves.

"Evanna, what happened?!" Elena exclaimed, spotting the bandages on her neck and wrists.

"It's a long story." Evanna sighed,"I'd rather not... Listen, things have taken a turn for the disastrous."

Jeremy frowned,"What d'you mean?"

Evanna opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by her phone ringing. She answered, neglecting to check the caller ID.

"Hello...?"

"Evanna, you're missing school. Bad girl."

Evanna felt her heart leap into her throat, and her knees threatened to buckle out of shock.

"Alaric..."

* * *

"Alaric has Caroline!" Evanna exclaimed, re-entering the kitchen.

Damon and Stefan stepped forward, both wearing identical looks of confusion, and they spoke in unison,"What?"

"He's at school," Evanna explained quickly,"He has Caroline, he called me."

The doorbell ringing interrupted them, and Jeremy hurried to get it. Klaus smirked back at him.

"What are you doing here?" Elena glared at him.

"The little sister told me that Alaric Saltzman tried to kill her at school today. I, personally, think a detention would have done the trick just as well, but, I digress. _How _is he still alive?"

Evanna raised her hand, grimacing, and Klaus nodded, understanding.

"Ah, well, now that I know all about my mother's invulnerable little creation and that's why I'm here. I'm leaving town, just need to pick up a few road trip necessities. Spare tire, flashlight, Electi."

Damon sped towards the door, smirking unamusedly,"Can't help you there."

He slammed the door closed in Klaus's face.

* * *

"We have to help Caroline!" Evanna reiterated. Damon waved his hands around in front of himself.

"Klaus is right outside, looking for you. How do you suggest we get passed him?"

"Throw him a squeaky toy? I don't know!" Evanna complained, flipping through her grimoire.

Stefan, who happened to be peeking through the blinds, grimaced,"Uh, guys? Duck!"

The morning newspaper crashed through the window, and everyone hit the deck. Jeremy grabbed Evanna, pulling her behind the counter, and Stefan pushed Elena out of the way. Damon ducked behind the wall.

The front door burst open, and a football from a neighbor's yard came flying in.

"You might want to let me in!" They heard Klaus call.

After the football, two parts of a pickett fence came flying in. The first one narrowly missed Damon, who chuckled.

"Missed me!"

Another fence piece.

"Missed me again!"

"Damon, stop teasing him!" Evanna called, roughly yanking the vampire down.

Next, Klaus came to the door with a propane tank and a newspaper 'torch'. Stefan sped towards the door.

"Put it out."

"Come outside and make me."

Evanna pursed her lips, contemplating her next move.

She darted out from behind the counter, joining Stefan by the doorway, her chin tilted in (fake) confidence.

_God, this better work..._

"Klaus! Alaric has Caroline."

Klaus let the newspaper drop, and stomped the fire out with his boot,"I'm listening..."

_Yes!_

"We can get her back if we work together. That means no footballs, no fences and no... newspaper torches..."

"Why would I possibly want to work with all of you, sweetheart?"

"Alaric's an indestructible vampire who _hates_ vampires." Evanna said,"He _especially _hates vampires who hurt the people he loves. _You're _the one who killed _his girlfriend_. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

Klaus paced back and forth,"And what do you suggest we do?"

"I might have an idea. My aunt used a desiccation spell on Mikael that immobilized him for over fifteen years. If I can get it, I might be able to use it on Alaric."

"If and might? Your words inspire such confidence."

Evanna sighed, rolling her eyes,"I'll get it. But even with the spell, we'll need a lot of vampire muscle to take him down. Including yours."

Klaus stopped pacing, and tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Just so we're clear, the sun sets in about eight hours. If we don't succeed before then, you will be dead, I'll be gone, and the rest of you will be left to fend for yourselves. Are we clear?"

* * *

Evanna was now the one pacing, whilst Damon sat on the couch, trailing her with his eyes. They were in the Salvatore household, waiting for Monica and Sheila.

"Well, _this _is promising." Damon commented.

"Relax, Monica will be here."

"I'm sorry, I forgot about her track record in the dependability department."

"Jamie said she'll be here; she'll be here. It's called patience, Damon."

The doorbell rang and Evanna headed for it. Damon raised his glass of bourbon to his lips, taking a sip.

"Don't get your hopes up; might be a Girl's Scout."

Evanna barely rolled her eyes, pulling open the door. She hugged Sheila tightly.

"Honey, how are you?"

"Fine, I just wanna get Caroline back. Monica," Evanna swallowed her pride,"Thanks for coming."

"Jamie was worried about you. He said it was urgent. I just didn't think you'd ever want to see me again."

"Jamie was right," Evanna walked further into the house, followed by Sheila,"This _is _urgent."

Monica stepped inside easily, which brought a frown to her face,"Why didn't I have to be invited in?"

"Only vampires live here." Evanna answered, flopping down onto the couch. Damon re-entered the room, this time with a glass of blood.

"We had signed over the deed to Evanna, but she died. The seal broke, very long story." He tilted the glass of blood in Monica's direction,"Blood? No? Fine, more for me."

He pulled a 'somebody's touchy' face at Evanna, who smiled softly as he perched on the coffee table beside her.

"We called you here because I need help with a spell. Esther created a vampire that can't be killed. I want to desiccate him like you did to Mikael."

"Evanna, it's too dangerous. You're not able for something like that. You can't do that, Evanna." Monica shook her head. Evanna raised her eyebrow.

"You disappeared for seven years, reappeared, and left again; you have no idea what I'm able for."

Damon tilted his glass towards Monica again,"Gotta say I'm Team Evanna on this one. How hard can it be to parch a vampire?"

"I almost died putting Mikael down. I lost my powers. In order to do this spell, you have to get close."

"Woah, wait," Damon paused, suddenly changing his mind,"You can't go in there. You're not on your A game. You're not even on your B game."

"I can do it, Damon."

"Alaric's not Alaric right now, you can't get in touch with his inner father figure. He could kill you in a second."

"If he wanted to kill me, why didn't he do it last night? It would have been so easy, but he didn't, so I'm thinkin' there's a reason. Now I'm going to the school to get my friend back. Now, are you guys coming or what?"

* * *

They all met up outside the school, by the picnic tables. Elena and Jeremy stood off to one side, alongside Monica and Sheila, whilst Evanna held out a small vial of her blood.

All this blood loss was not doing her any good, she was sure.

"Drink this. It's my blood. It bridges us all together, so that if _I _can't stop Alaric's heart, any of you will have the power to use the spell yourselves. You need to make a physical connection to his bloodstream; a vein, artery, _something_ connected to his heart."

Evanna handed over the vial, crossing her arms over herself self-consciously as Damon took it. Klaus began to chuckle.

"Don't be shy, sweetheart. At one point, every vampire here, minus your aunt of course, has drank from you."

Evanna rolled her eyes, sending a glare his way,"Thank you for pointing that out."

Damon took a sip, passing to Stefan, who did the same and passed it to Klaus.

"If one of us gets a clean shot, take it, the other two: hold him down." Stefan decided.

"Before we all walk through these doors, let's get on the same page, shall we?" Klaus suggested,"I was the one who created your vampire bloodline, therefore I am responsible for your lives and Tyler's life, Caroline's life, and of course, Monica's life, should anything go wrong."

"Or you're just lying to save your ass," Damon drawled, passing the vial back to Evanna.

"I'm not lying. But go ahead, call my bluff, let the teacher kill me. You'll all be dead soon thereafter."

Evanna stepped forward,"Let's just get this over with, shall we?"

Each of the male vampires dispersed, heading to their various entry points around the school. Evanna was going to walk right through the front door.

"Are you sure you don't want me to do this?" Sheila asked.

"I'm sure." Evanna shook her head, determined,"I need you and Monica to stay out here. If something goes wrong, get Elena and Jeremy away. I'll be fine. One way or another, this won't take long."

* * *

The school was always creepy when it was deserted. School had long ago ended, and Evanna headed towards Alaric's classroom. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, and her mouth was dry. She heard a feminine cry of anguish and ran towards it, bursting through the door. Caroline was pinned to the desk by lots of pencil stakes.

Alaric smirked when she walked in.

"Nice of you to finally to join us."

"Sorry it took so long," Evanna deadpanned,"Traffic."

Alaric walked over to Caroline who shrank back and poured some liquified vervain onto the bare skin of her arm. She cried out, and Evanna winced.

"Why are you doing this?!"

"To make it easier on you when you put her out of her misery."

Evanna paused, genuinely confused,"Wait, what?"

Alaric approached her, holding the white oak stake out to her,"You wanted me to teach you how to kill a vampire. Here's your chance; there's a vampire - kill her."

"Like hell!"

"All those hours you spent training, getting stronger, you could be a hunter, Evanna. But you've never actually staked a vampire through the heart."

"Actually, I have, so I'm gonna skip this little lesson. Alaric, that's _Caroline_."

"She's a murderer. She told me she killed someone and liked it. Now how is that right? Listen, Evanna, your family led the council. It was their life's mission to keep this town safe. And that's the Gilbert side. Witches hate vampires, right? That's the natural order of things? And you undid it all."

"They're _your _friends too, Rick."

"Kill her, or I will!"

Evanna took the stake, approaching Caroline. She sent the girl a wink, and turned around quickly, shoving the stake into Alaric's side. She sent him flying back, and held him there, using one hand to pull the pencils from Caroline's body.

"Sorry!" She squealed as Caroline whimpered. Caroline stood up, pulling the vervain soaked gag from her mouth and tossing it aside with a gasp of pain.

"Go, I've got this!"

Caroline nodded, speeding out. Evanna let the invisible hold she had on Alaric down after a while.

Evanna ran into the hallway, giving her more space, though she was grabbed quickly and hauled against a locker painfully.

"I should kill you. I should gut you like Brian Walters, Bill Forbes, and all the other cowards I plan on ripping apart. You're the worst offender of them all, Evanna. You don't deserve to live."

"So then, why am I still alive? There's obviously no humanity left in you, so what's stopping you, Alaric? If you want me dead then kill me."

Alaric's eyes went red, the veins underneath his eyes becoming more and more prominent.

"Do it," Evanna said,"Kill me."

Alaric's eyes became normal again and he let her go. Suddenly, _he _was the one grabbed, held back by Stefan and Damon. Klaus appeared then, standing in front of Alaric.

"Caroline is safe, by the way."

"Thanks," Evanna nodded, and then, Klaus plunged his hand into Alaric's chest.

And the spell began.

And as quickly as it began, the connection broke. Alaric somehow managed to free himself from the brothers and remove Klaus's hand from his chest. Chaos ensued, and was only stopped when Evanna pulled out the white oak stake.

"Stop!"

Each vampire turned to stare at her as she positioned the stake by her chest.

"Alaric, stop, or I kill myself."

"Put it down, Evanna."

"Why? Because you still need me alive? There's a reason why Esther used me to make you, isn't there? She didn't want you to be immortal, so she tied your life to a witch's. _Mine_. That way you have only one life span to kill all vampires and then you'll be gone. So, when I die, you die too."

"You're wrong."

"Am I?" Evanna reared the stake back and almost stabbed herself.

"Stop!"

The tip of the stake stopped just as it touched the fabric of her jumper. She twirled it in her hand.

Seizing the opportunity, Damon grabbed Alaric again, holding his arms behind his back. Klaus sped over, and pushed his hand through his chest again.

Evanna began to chant, watching as Alaric slowly began to shrivel up before their eyes. He wasn't dead, just incapacitated.

However, Klaus provided a game changer none of them saw coming. For in a flash, Damon and Stefan were left alone in the hallway with Alaric's body.

Evanna and Klaus had disappeared.

* * *

When Evanna woke up, there was an uncomfortable pricking sensation in her arm. She looked down, seeing the needle embedded in her skin and tried to remove it.

"Removing it only puts you in more trouble."

Evanna glared up at the compelled woman, looking around the room, recognizing the home instantly. Her yell was one of frustration rather than fear.

"Klaus!"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"_Seriously_?!"

He shrugged easily,"I'm gonna need to stock up."

"What's your plan? You kill me to get rid of Alaric? Two birds with one proverbial stone?"

"Something like that. It's amazing how you figure things out so quickly."

"I'm gonna kick your ass." She blinked tiredly,"Just wait..."

"Promises, promises."

Evanna rolled her heavy eyes. _Seriously, blood loss, not good. _

Her entire body felt heavy, and her head lolled back, her vision getting spotty and blurry.

Soon after, she passed out.

* * *

The first thing Evanna heard when she woke up was the sound of laughing.

She slowly pushed herself into a seated position, relaxing when she realized she was back in her own bedroom. It was still dark outside, and the clock on her nightstand told her it was approaching eleven. Pushing the covers off her body, she caught sight of her reflection and grimaced. Pale, and covered in bandages. Definition of a broken doll.

Blowing out a breath, she stood up and, not bothering to change out of her black sweatpants and the salmon pink tank top she'd slept in, she headed downstairs to investigate.

Everyone was gathered in the kitchen; Matt, Jeremy, Elena, Caroline, Tyler and Meredith. Her childhood best friends were chatting away animatedly, as though everything was completely normal.

"You're awake!" Caroline squealed brightly when she saw her.

"I am... what are you guys doing here?"

"It's a victory party." Meredith explained, handing her a shot glass.

"What victory are we celebrating?"

"Alaric's not a threat, and we _finally _took down Klaus," Elena elaborated,"We deserve a little party."

Evanna shrugged, tossing back the shot and setting the glass down.

"How you feeling?" Matt asked, slinging his arm around her shoulder.

"Better." Evanna nodded,"Tired, but better." She smiled up at her big brother,"How are you, Mattie?"

"A little pissed none of you let me help you take down Original brother number two, to be honest."

Tyler laughed,"Yeah, he would have taken you right down to the hospital, bro."

Matt poked his tongue out at the wolfish boy,"Please, I'm more stealthy than that. I'm like a ninja."

"You wish," Jeremy snorted, making them laugh.

Evanna pursed her lips,"I have a question; how did I get here?"

"Tyler got you out." Elena explained,"Fought Klaus and everything."

Evanna grinned,"Damn, wish I'd been awake. Thanks, Ty."

He waved her off,"It was nothin'. Just me being manly..."

Matt and Jeremy burst out laughing immediately. Caroline rolled her eyes, grinning, and poured Evanna another shot.

"Here, you need this."

Evanna tossed her a quizzical raised eyebrow, but downed it anyway,"Skipping school and getting drunk on a Wednesday night. _Not _what my parents had in mind when they sent me to Mystic Falls."

"Eh, make an exception, you can go back to being responsible tomorrow." Jeremy teased.

Evanna looked at each and every one of them before smiling.

"In that case, hand me the bottle..."

* * *

**Ah! We're almost to the end of Season 3! So, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and the Damon/Evanna scenes. **

**Oh, and to address Imogen, the wonderful guest who left me the review that made me smile for hours, I am here to answer your question regarding Season 4. I ****will**** go along with the storyline of Season 4, but ****not yet****. I have a story planned that will be an original, but will center around the characters of Evanna-verse. I don't have a name for it yet and I don't know how many chapters it'll be until I start writing, but there'll be more information in the end of the next chapter. I'm really excited and really nervous about it at the same time.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed, you guys are the best! **

**And gear up, friends. Chapter 22 should be up in the next few days. **_**Oh, boy...**_

**~ Megan.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Vampire Diaries**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.  
**

**Sorry about the delay. Here is the last chapter of Season 3 :)**

* * *

Monica didn't know why she was back there.

She felt like it was all a dream, like she wasn't in control of any decisions she was about to make. There was just something calling to her.

She unlocked the heavy door, sliding it up and closing it behind herself. She approached the coffin, undoing the chain over it and opening it up. Evil, dark blue eyes stared back at her, and under an unspoken command, she began to undo the chains keeping him down. He leapt out of the coffin and snapped her neck, fleeing the scene immediately and locking the door behind himself.

* * *

"Carol, what's so urgent that you called an emergency council meeting at this hour?" Liz asked, stepping into the hallway of the Lockwood house.

"I didn't call the meeting, Liz." Carole said warily, leading her into the living room and nodding towards the man standing before every council member,"He did."

Alaric grinned over at her, extending his arms,"Join us, Sheriff. I was just telling the council about our vampire problem. Or should I say _your_ problem."

Liz narrowed her eyes,"What do you think you're doing?"

"Well, perhaps you and the Mayor can enlighten the group on the strides you've taken to eliminate the issues this town has faced. Oh, that's right, you haven't. You see the Sheriff, a woman we elected to keep our families safe and town secure, has a vampire for a daughter."

Liz's heart stopped as the council members gasp, each turning their accusing eyes her way.

"And our lovely Mayor," Alaric continued,"A son who is half vampire, half werewolf."

Carole swallowed thickly,"Why are you doing this?"

"These women are hypocrites." Alaric exclaimed, ignoring them,"They claim to spearhead our defense against the supernatural presence, than cover up the violent attacks committed by their children."

Liz shook her head,"That's enough. We're done here. It's time to go."

The blonde woman turned to leave, but Alaric sped in front of her, stopping her in her tracks.

"Sit down, Liz. We're just getting started."

* * *

Soon, everyone but Matt left, and Stefan arrived at the Gilbert house. Jeremy went to work, getting on with his day normally. The Grille wasn't too busy, so Jeremy spotted him as soon as he entered the bar. Alaric sat down on the stool across from him.

"Hey, Jer."

"How are you even here?"

"Monica was a dear, she let me go. I'm not here to hurt you; we need to talk."

"I don't want to talk to you."

"Well, you have no choice. I need you to tell me where they're keeping Klaus' body."

"I don't know and even if I did, why would I tell you?"

Alaric sighed,"Evanna's association with vampires nearly got her killed again last night, Jeremy. Does that even register with you?"

"Of course it does."

"Well, she can't seem to cut them out of her life, but I can. And with your help, I'll get rid of all of them. Find out where Klaus' body is being hidden, I'll kill him, all his siblings, and when I die, vampires will no longer exist."

Jeremy furrowed his brows,"But the only way for you to die is if Evanna dies."

"Then lock me up. Let Evanna live a long, healthy semi- human life and when her life is over, mine will be too." Alaric produced the indestructible white oak stake from the inside pocket of his jacket,"This stake is the one weapon on Earth that can kill them. I'm gonna get Klaus either way, Jeremy. Be on the right side of this."

* * *

Evanna felt the pounding behind her eyes before she even woke up. Groaning under her breath, she reached up to shield her eyes from the sunlight as she slowly pulled herself up.

A glass of water stood on her nightstand, with two painkillers resting on a small slip of paper. She took the medication and took a large gulp of water, reading the note.

_Thought you might need these. You drank more than anyone ~ Matt._

Evanna smiled, rolling her eyes. Her phone buzzed over on the dresser and she stifled a yawn behind her hand, climbing from the bed to answer it.

Tidbits of the conversation last night came back to her, and she reminded herself to be happy at their little victories.

Tyler and Sheila had worked together to put down Klaus, and Alaric was no longer an issue, she reminded herself as she opened up Jeremy's text. Her stomach leapt into her throat and she gulped.

_Or so they thought..._

"Uh, guys?!" Evanna called urgently, hurrying into the kitchen, holding her phone up so they could see the screen.

Matt, Stefan, and Elena all squinted to read the message, though didn't have to when Evanna explained.

"Alaric's at the Grill! How is he at the Grill?"

"That's not possible," Stefan shook his head,"Damon and I locked him up ourselves. The only other person there was... Monica."

Evanna dialed Monica's number,"Going to voice mail."

The doorbell's sound permeated the tense air, and Evanna groaned, heading towards it. Standing on the porch, Elijah stared back at her.

"Elijah?"

"Hello again."

* * *

A little while later, they were all gathered in the kitchen, Elijah sitting at the head of the table as he spoke.

"All we need is to take that stake away from him. Once it's been disarmed, the weapon's in my possession, my family will scatter to the ends of the Earth and Alaric will follow us."

"And, you'll just run?" Stefan clarified, earning a nod.

"We've done it before. Klaus and Rebekah spent the better part of a thousand years evading my father. What's another half century while Evanna is able to live out the rest of her natural life?"

"We've finally stopped him, Elijah." Evanna said tiredly,"After everything that he's done to us, I can't just let you bring him back."

"I give you my word, Evanna. I will not revive Klaus within yours nor even within your children's lifetimes. Perhaps that will finally teach him some manners."

Matt scoffed,"Why should she trust you? All you've done is screw her over."

Evanna wagged her finger in the air,"This is true."

"And for that, I am deeply ashamed. But know this, she could have been dead the instant I walked through that door tonight, so Evanna, I leave it to _you_ to make the decision whether to trust me or not."

"Not!" Damon's voice suddenly filled the room, and Evanna remembered Stefan calling him. She hadn't thought he was still on the line, and jumped slightly at his exclamation.

"Hello, did the blood loss give you brain damage?! His lunatic siblings will kill you the first chance they get!"

"Rebekah and Kol will honor the terms. If you return Klaus' body to us, Evanna will come to no harm. So, Evanna, do we have a deal?"

"No! No, no, no, no. Did I mention _no_?

Evanna rolled her eyes, as Stefan sighed,"Evanna, it's your decision."

"Oh, come on!"

"Damon!" Evanna called warningly, and then inhaled deeply,"Why do you want Klaus's body?"

"He's my brother. We remain together."

Evanna nodded, contemplating her next words.

"Damon and I will take you to Klaus." She held up a hand, stopping him from speaking,"_Only _if you help us with Alaric."

Elijah gave her a smile and a curt nod.

"Deal."

* * *

When Jeremy finally got home, he explained everything to them, and they all brainstormed a plan. Finally, Jeremy picked up his phone and dialed Alaric's body.

"Alaric, I know where Klaus is."

"Goodie, do tell."

"Damon's on his way to bury him in the woods off route 12. I'll text you the specifics."

"Thank you, Jeremy. You're doing the right thing."

"I know." Jeremy nodded and then hung up, turning to face Matt, Stefan, Damon, Evanna, Elijah and his sister.

"He bought it."

Damon nodded, pointing between himself and Evanna.

"Then we better hurry up."

* * *

Evanna frowned at her phone as Damon led her towards the storage unit.

"What's wrong, pouty?"

"Caroline hasn't texted me all day. That's unusual. Which one is Klaus in?"

"I was gonna use Unit 666, but figured that would be a little obvious. So…" Damon stopped outside one,"1020. Mini fridge, a couple bird cages, a box of old Playboys..." Damon opened up the door,"One beef jerkified Original."

Evanna stepped inside, Damon following. Evanna unlatched the coffin, lifting it up. It really was a gruesome sight. Abruptly, Klaus's eyes snapped open and Evanna grabbed Damon's arm.

"Creepy much?!" Evanna yelled at Klaus, and she was _convinced_ that she saw him smirk. She then realized the cool, supple leather she was gripping was Damon's jacket and shyly let go, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear,"So, Rebekah's gonna pick him up. Did she say when?"

"Nope." Damon guided Evanna out,"Let's get you home. You should be resting."

"I'm fine. I'm not an invalid." Evanna strode down the narrow corridor and then frowned when Damon stopped.

"Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

Damon didn't answer, instead walking passed her and towards another storage unit. Then Evanna felt it; there was another vampire here. Damon pulled the spare key out and jammed it in the lock.

"This was Alaric's storage unit," He explained, opening it up.

"Monica!" Evanna hurried in, kneeling down beside her,"What are you doing here?"

"I have no idea. The last thing I remember is arriving in Mystic Falls. I remember seeing Alaric, but that's it."

Evanna glanced up at Damon,"You think Alaric compelled her?"

"What makes you say that?"

"She set him free, and when she was at the house yesterday, she was pretty determined not to let me do the spell. Maybe Alaric knew what we were trying to do, I mean, Esther made him on par with, if not stronger than, Klaus. Klaus can compel vampires, so maybe Alaric can too."

"Alright, let's get you two home."

"Wait, you should stay here, wait for Rebekah. I can ask Matt or Jamie to pick us up."

Damon stared at her for a moment and then nodded,"Okay, be careful."

"You, too."

* * *

"Evanna just got home," Stefan told Damon over the phone.

Damon nodded,"Rebekah should be here soon to pick up the body? Is everyone in place?"

"Yep. I've got Elijah, Caroline and Tyler ready. Jeremy's gonna lead Alaric to us."

"You just _had _to leave her make the choice, didn't you?"

"What would you have done, Damon?"

"Grabbed her, gagged her, throw her in a well, I don't know, anything other than let her trust Elijah."

"You know she'd just hate you for it, right?"

"Yeah, but she'd be alive and she'd hate me. Thus, the eternal difference between you and me, brother."

"As soon as we get the stake, hand over the coffin and get out. Alaric's got half the police looking for Klaus' car."

"He seriously sold Liz and Carole out to the council? Yeesh. Anyway, will do." The elevator button dinged down the hall and Damon stood up,"Gotta go, the Original sister is here."

Damon hung up, walking back out into the hallway,"It's about time, sexy Beks."

Damon was grabbed, being held in a choke hold and he realized soon that it was Alaric.

"Where is Klaus?"

"How did you find me?" Damon wheezed.

"Oh, you'd be amazed at how competent law enforcement is when it's not corrupted by vampires. Now, where is Klaus?"

"In a storage locker. There's only about a thousand of them, have at it."

Alaric narrowed his eyes and snapped Damon's neck. He let him drop unceremoniously to the ground, and set off in search of Klaus.

* * *

After dropping Monica at Sheila's, Jamie drove Evanna to her house, taking the longer route. She was silent, lost in her thoughts.

With everything, she'd completely forgotten about the drama between her and Damon, and being alone with him again just brought everything back. As well as that, she had this overwhelming feeling that time was running out. It didn't make sense, and there were no specifics, she just _felt _that way. Evanna snorted softly. Finally, she figured out how she felt about _something. _

That night in Mary Porter's house... he'd been right. She had to figure it out for herself, and the fact that she couldn't bring herself to admit the things she felt was kinda scary.

And at the same time, knowing how strongly he felt for her was just as scary. He was probably the best thing to come out of the hell her life had been for the past year and a bit. He was passionate, he was sweet, and he was selfless.

Not many people would agree with her, but he _was_. He went out of his way to protect the people he cared about, oftentimes getting hurt himself. He took the wrap for Monica's transition because he knew Stefan wanted to go back to his normal life, and that meant being friends with Evanna. He deserved someone who could say, to his face, 'I love you' and not be afraid by the fact.

She wasn't that girl. At least not yet.

But she had to do this.

"Jamie, can you pull over?"

Jamie frowned; they were on a deserted road, still partially by the woods near Sheila's house. Still, he pulled over.

"I'll be back." Evanna said, grabbing her purse and exiting the car. Jamie's eyes followed her, worried.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, there's just something I gotta do."

Evanna walked partially into the woods for privacy, and dialled Damon's number.

"Hey, bad news," He said instantly,"Alaric showed up here, staked Klaus and disappeared. Klaus is dead. Rebekah's on the war path."

Evanna paused,"Are you okay?"

"Snapped neck, but nothing serious."

"I mean, Klaus started your blood line. Now that's he's dead..."

"I am possibly a dead man."

"Do you feel any symptoms?"

"Nope. Klaus was probably lying, Evanna, don't worry about it."

"Yeah, probably."

"Are you home?"

"Uh, no. I need to talk to you."

"What's the verdict, doc? Am I pregnant?"

Evanna would have laughed, but instead, she bit her bottom lip,"I need to talk to you _seriously_, Damon."

Damon hesitated,"I'm not gonna like this, am I?"

Evanna began to cry,"I'm sorry, Damon."

It was silent on his end for a while, and then he cleared his throat,"I get it."

"It's not that I don't care about you. I do. So much it's scary. Which means, I care about you enough to let you go." Evanna sniffled,"You deserve better."

"_I _deserve better? Never heard that one before." Damon was trying to lighten the mood, but the emotional tone of his voice just brought on more tears.

"I'm so sorry. I-I just, I can't string you along anymore. It's not fair. Everything is so complicated, not just between us, but with everything, and it's... it's not the right time."

"And what happens when it is the right time?"

Evanna choked up,"I can't think about the future, Damon. That's why I'm talking to you now. I feel like, if I don't tell you now, I might not get to."

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't know. Maybe you're right. Maybe the blood loss is making me fuzzy, but... I just have this feeling there may not be a later."

"There will be." Damon assured her,"And we can talk later, okay? You and me."

Evanna took a deep breath,"Alright."

"Just... one question."

"Of course."

"Do you think, if the circumstances were different, would things between us be different too?"

Evanna smiled sadly,"I'd hope so. Maybe, if things changed. If I wasn't a witch, maybe things would be easier."

"Maybe..."

Evanna cleared her throat,"I... should get back. Goodbye, Damon."

"Bye."

Evanna hung up, and then cried. She felt horrible, like her heart had been torn from her chest, and knowing she'd done to same to Damon was worse. _She _had caused him pain.

Wiping her tears away, she slipped her phone into her pocket and went back to Jamie.

"Oh, my God, Jamie!" She called, seeing him slumped over in the driver's seat. She ran towards the passenger seat, climbing in and tilting Jamie's head up. He was breathing, but he was unconscious.

"Jamie, open your eyes. Jamie!"

Suddenly, she was grabbed and yanked backwards. She barely caught a glimpse of anything around her before her head connected painfully with the car's door frame.

* * *

Damon went down, tasting the coppery taste of his own blood explode in his mouth, a result of the previous punch Alaric had thrown.

Alaric had arrived shortly after Evanna's phone call for round two, and Damon wasn't faring so well.

"What, you're not gonna fight back?"

"You're kind of invincible, Rick." Damon wheezed, flipping onto his back and coughing up some more blood.

"Don't call me that," Alaric spat bitterly, kicking Damon square in the face,"We're not friends."

"We were."

"Well, our friendship was part of the problem. It's what kept me weak. It's also why it took so long for the real me to break through and now I'm gonna break you."

Alaric punched Damon in the face again, sending him staggering back.

"Is that all you got?"

"Not quite." Alaric bent down swiftly, the white oak stake coming dangerously close to Damon's heart. Damon rolled away, jumped to his feet and landed a hit of his own to Alaric's face.

He grabbed his wrist, applying enough pressure on his pulse point that Alaric dropped the stake.

Alaric stumbled back suddenly, gripping his head,"What's happening?"

Damon went down with him, cradling him as Rick slowly clutched his chest in pain.

"Rick, what's going on?"

"Damon," Alaric coughed out, choking,"Evanna's in trouble."

"What? What do you mean she's in trouble?"

"We have to go back to Mystic Falls."

* * *

Evanna gasped out in pain, and her attacker turned her around to face him, slamming her back against the car.

One of the man's hands went around the back of her head, holding her in place, while he pushed his other, bloody, wrist against her lips forcefully. His arm obstructed her airways, forcing her to drink down his blood unless she wanted to choke.

Evanna finally got the strength, and magically pushed him off her, sending him flying hard onto the two-lane asphalt.

Evanna rushed to reach her bag, rooting through it for the vervain dart she kept in there.

Finally finding it, she rounded back, only to realize he was right there, his elbow bent and reared back.

As soon as she was eye-to-eye with him, he plunged whatever was in his hand through her stomach.

Evanna's lungs drained of air, and all she could feel was pain. Choking on her own blood, her eyes travelled the length of the knife protruding from her abdomen, up the attacker's arm to finally lock eyes with him again.

He smirked down at her as an icy cold numbness flowed through her veins.

She slumped onto the ground, and he stood over her.

Blinking up at him through teary-eyes, she struggled to breath and slowly felt every nerve in her body go numb. His icy grey eyes peered down at her, and he gave her a smirk.

"No hard feelings, sweetheart. You just happen to be the common denominator to both my problems."

* * *

**Dun, dun, dun! So, Evanna's basically screwed, and she let Damon go. Like he's a pretty bird. Well, that sucks. You know what else sucks? Heat waves.**

**Ireland's experiencing one and I seriously miss my cold, windy and rainy days. I'm okay as long as the temperatures stay under 13 degrees, and right now, it's... like, 24. **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Can't believe it's the end of Season 3 and that I am finally moving onto my Original story. I'll put an Author's Note up here when it's up.**

**Like I explained, it follows the characters of Evanna -verse, but there will be a few OCs, and some AU storylines. The show's supernatural logic may not apply as much in the original story.**

**Still have no name for it. I suck at titles.**

**So, anyway, keep an eye out and don't forget to review. **

**And thank you to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/followed! I'm so glad to have you guys in my life, even if we don't necessarily talk much, so thank you all! :)**

**Review Responses:**

**Lonely-writer-girl:**Don't you worry. _Serious _Damon/Evanna action ahead. Quite a bit of angst though. As they say 'it gets worse before it gets better' and that certainly applies for those two lovebirds. Aw, I'm so glad people like them together and that my updates make you smile. You make me smile too, so it all works out! Thank you for the review! :)

**ddluzelle:**I'm so happy that you enjoyed the last chapter! I can't wait for Season 4 either. Fun times ahead, friend! Thanks for the review :)

**Imogen:** Of course I responded to your review! It made _me_ so happy! I'm so glad you enjoy the story and I laughed when I read that your dad thinks you're going insane. My dad _knows _I'm insane, so... ha! Thank you for the review! :)

**Hayden:** Ah, Hayden. Loyal Hayden. All answers will be provided soon. Thank you for the review! :)


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note**

Okie Dokie then! I am here with the Author's Note. I make it sound so serious...

Anyway, I have begun the Original Story, and the first chapter/teaser is on my profile.

I have decided to call it '_Old Promises and New Beginnings_'.

It was the best I could come up with. I told you I sucked with titles.

See you guys soon! :)

~ Megan.


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